Comparison of Phase Shifting Techniques for Measuring In-Plane Residual Stress in Thin, Flat Silicon Wafers

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials 2013-08, Vol.42 (8), p.2478-2485
• Main Authors: Prasath, R. G. R., Skenes, K., Danyluk, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Comparative analysis; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Electronics and Microelectronics; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Instrumentation; Instruments for strain, force and torque; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Materials Science; Mechanical and acoustical properties; Mechanical instruments, equipment and techniques; Natural energy; Optical and Electronic Materials; Phase transitions; Photovoltaic conversion; Physical properties of thin films, nonelectronic; Physics; Silicon; Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells; Solar energy; Solid State Physics; Stress analysis; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin films
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-013-2630-z

This paper reports on a comparison of the six- and ten-step phase shifting methods in digital transmission photoelasticity and the application of these methods to obtain the residual stresses in thin (200  μ m), flat crystalline silicon wafers (156 mm square). The ten-step phase shifting technique is judged to be superior with reduced noise in the isoclinics and a resulting higher accuracy when dealing with the near-zero retardation prevalent in residual stress measurements of silicon wafers.