Laser-induced Delamination of Thin Films

PROJECT TITLE: EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF A NOVEL LASER-INDUCED DELAMINATION TEST FOR THIN FILMS

PARTICIPANTS: DR. R. KITEY, PHUONG TRAN (PHD), PREMASAINATH SELVARASU (MS), SOMA KANDULA (PHD – NOW AT INTEL), PROF. NANCY SOTTOS (U. ILLINOIS) AND PROF. PHILIPPE GEUBELLE

SUPPORT: NSF GOALI AND SRC

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: In this combined experimental and numerical research project, we develop a novel non-contact testing procedure to extract the fracture toughness (i.e., energy of delamination) of film/substrate interfaces found in microelectronics applications.

Schematic of the laser-induced delamination test for a patterned thin film.

  

Optical images of delaminated aluminum (left) and copper (right) thin films.

RELATED PUBLICATIONS:

  1. Tran, P., Kandula, S., Geubelle, P. H. and Sottos, N. R. (2008) “Hybrid spectral/finite element analysis of dynamic delamination of patterned thin films.” Eng. Fracture Mech., 75:14, 4217-4233. DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2008.03.006.

  2. Kandula, S. S. V., Hartfield, C. D., Geubelle, P. H. and Sottos, N. R. (2008) “Adhesion strength measurement of polymer dielectric interfaces using laser spallation technique.” Thin Solid Films, 516:21, 7627-7635. DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2008.05.033.

  3. Kandula, S. S. V., Tran, P., Geubelle, P. H. and Sottos, N. R. (2008) “Dynamic delamination of patterned thin films”. Appl. Physics Letters, 93, 261902-1-3. DOI: 10.1063/1.3056639.

  4. Kitey, R., Geubelle, P. H. and Sottos, N. R. (2009) “Mixed-mode interfacial adhesive strength of a thin film on an anisotropic substrate”. J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 57:1, 51-66.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jmps.2008.10.002.