Mechanical Behavior of Amorphous Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited Silicon Oxide Films for MEMS Applications

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Amorphous thin film materials are more and more commonly adopted in the emerging new applications of MEMS. However, their mechanical behavior is still not yet nearly well understood as compared with their crystalline counterparts. The overall objective of this work is to contribute to the scientific understanding of the causal mechanisms of the mechanical responses of amorphous thin film materials so as to permit the design and construction of efficient MEMS structures and devices. Specifically, mechanical responses of the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon oxide thin films will be probed under different thermal conditions, stress levels, size scales, and in both elastic and plastic regions. Various distinctive characteristics of the mechanical behaviors of the thin films will be characterized systematically, and the underlying physical causal mechanisms will be analyzed in depth. Educationally, given the broad interdisciplinary nature of this research, graduate students will have an outstanding opportunity to work in an area that bridges basic research and application. In addition, two to three undergraduate researchers will be hired to work on this project, and women and minority students will be included via the University's collaborative relationship with the Society of Women Engineers and Minority Engineers Society.