Assessment of mechanical properties of nanoscale structures for microprocessor manufacturing

A force-sensor technique was developed to determine small forces in-situ in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), enabling to investigate elastic and plastic deformation modes and corresponding critical strains in single silicon lamellae. Large elastic deformations were obtained, matching with modeling of the Si deformation behavior by finite element analysis. This technique is shown to be applicable also to copper structures obtained after filling of the space between the Si lamellae and subsequent etching. The obtained mechanical properties of the structures on a nanoscale are important for the design of present and next-generation microprocessors.