Mechanical Properties and Residual Stress of Thin 3C-SiC(100) Films Determined Using MEMS Structures

Abstract

3C-SiC(100) was grown on Si (100) in a thickness range between 40 and 500 nm by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. The mechanical properties and the residual stress were determined using the length dependence of the resonance frequencies of cantilevers and beams. Taking into account the influence of the cantilever bending and the stress gradients the Young’s modulus of the 3C-SiC(100) was obtained. It decreases with decreasing thickness of the epitaxial layer grown on Si (100).