Direct comparison of stylus and resonant methods for determining Young's modulus of single and multilayer MEMS cantilevers

As microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) become more complex and is produced in even greater numbers it becomes increasingly important to have a full understanding of the mechanical properties of the commonly used MEMS materials. One of the most important properties for MEMS is the Young's modulus. This work describes the direct comparison of two methods often used for measuring the Young's modulus of thin film materials using micro-cantilever test structures: a load-deflection method and a resonant frequency method. The comparison was carried out for a range of materials, different cantilever geometries as well as for single and multilayer materials. It was found that both methods produce results that agree with each other and also agree with the values most often given in the literature.