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Ultrasonic inspection and self-healing of Ge and 3C-SiC semiconductor membranes
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- IEEE, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Knowledge of the mechanical properties and stability of thin film structures is important for device operation. Potential failures related to crack initiation and growth must be identified early, to enable healing through e.g. annealing. Here, three square suspended membranes, formed from a thin layer of cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) or germanium (Ge) on a silicon substrate, were characterised by their response to ultrasonic excitation. The resonant frequencies and mode shapes were measured during thermal cycling over a temperature range of 20–100 °C. The influence of temperature on the stress was explored by comparison with predictions from a model of thermal expansion of the combined membrane and substrate. For an ideal, non-cracked sample the stress and Q-factor behaved as predicted. In contrast, for a 3C-SiC and a Ge membrane that had undergone vibration and thermal cycling to simulate extended use, measurements of the stress and Q-factor showed the presence of damage, with the 3C-SiC membrane subsequently breaking. However, the damaged Ge sample showed an improvement to the resonant behaviour on subsequent heating. Scanning electron microscopy showed that this was due to a self-healing of sub-micrometer cracks, caused by expansion of the germanium layer to form bridges over the cracked regions, with the effect also observable in the ultrasonic inspection. [2020-0017]
- Subjects :
- 010302 applied physics
Materials science
Silicon
Annealing (metallurgy)
Mechanical Engineering
TK
Ultrasonic testing
chemistry.chemical_element
Germanium
02 engineering and technology
Temperature cycling
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
01 natural sciences
Thermal expansion
Membrane
chemistry
TA
0103 physical sciences
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Thin film
Composite material
0210 nano-technology
QC
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 10577157
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3ba1a9dba9e2b5c05c1aae246519ebfa