Micro Testing System for Thermal-Mechanical Properties and Interfacial Strength of Micron Plus Scale Components in Infrared Devices

This proposed Phase II effort will focus on the design and fabrication of the MicroTester, characterization of the elastic properties of thin film materials and the interfacial fracture toughness between the metallization/passivation layers and thesubstrate material in infrared detectors. A prototype MicroTester will demonstrate the capability to monitor interfacial reliability of detector areas of 10 um2 on the wafer. The technique of measuring the interfacial fracture toughness using this testerwill also be developed including specimen preparation and data analysis.At the conclusion of the Phase II, a prototype MicroTester will be delivered which will include an operator-friendly loading stage, a state-of-the-art loading unit and loading controller, a fast image collection and processing program, and propertiesanalysis and reporting program. Detailed procedures for specimen preparation and MicroTester operation will be prepared for evaluating thin film modulus and interfacial fracture toughness of thin film and substrate. A reliability testing system with cyclicloading capacity will be developed based on interfacial fracture criteria of infrared detectors using atomic force microscope (AFM). There is a tremendous commercial interest for thin film mechanical property measurement systems. Current systems are notsuitable for accurate determination of mechanical properties coupled with detailed observation of damage evolution. The product developed under this research will consist of loading stage, computer software and other instrumentation (i.e., AFM, videoframe grabber, etc.) necessary to obtain mechanical property measurements for a variety of thin films.