Richard P. Vinci, Professor                                                                                                      

Director, Mechanical Behavior Laboratory

Email: rpv2@lehigh.edu

Phone: (610) 758-4581                                                                                                               

Fax:  (610) 758-4244

Mechanical Behavior Laboratory Capabilities

January, 2012

 

Thin Film Deposition

á      Sputter deposition, multi-target (AJA International)

-      3 targets, 2" diameter, co-sputtering arrangement, RF and DC magnetron

-      ideal for alloy deposition and multilayer stacks

-      typical targets: Al, Ag, Au, Cu, In, Ir, Mo, Pt, Si, Ti, V, W, TiW, NiO, Al2O3, Ni-7%V, CuSb, Pt-20%Ru, CuAlx

-      base pressure typically 3 x 10-7 torr

-      substrate bias, reactive sputtering (O2 and N2) and substrate heating capability

-      3" wafers and odd sized substrates possible

á      Sputter deposition, single-target (AJA International)

-      1 target, 3" diameter, RF and DC magnetron

-      typical targets: Al, W, Ti

-      base pressure typically 2 x 10-8 torr

-      reactive sputtering (N2)

-      4" wafers and odd sized substrates possible

á      Evaporation

-      Resistance heated, 3 boats

-      typical materials: Cu, Al, Ni, Au

-      base pressure typically 8 x 10-7 torr

-      odd sized substrates possible

 

Small-scale Mechanical Testing

á      Nanoindentation (Hysitron Triboscope on DI/VEECO MM-AFM)

-      Surface imaging with indentation tool

-      Vertical loading: 1nN – 10 mN, Lateral loading: 3 µN – 10 mN

-      Scratch testing, micro/nano-wear testing

-      Heating to 150 ¡C

-      Typical specimens: thin films, coatings, treated surfaces, small structures

á      Nanomechanical testing in SEM (Hysitron PI-85 Picoindenter)

-      Simultaneous high resolution imaging and indentation, compression, bending, or tension

-      Typical specimens: thin films, coatings, treated surfaces, multi-phase materials, small structures, nanowires

-      Load resolution: ~1 µN, max load 10 mN

-      Displacement: 5 nm – 50 µm

á      Micro-tensile load frame

-      Load resolution: <1 mN

-      Displacement: 5 nm – 50 µm

-      Ideal for tension and fatigue testing

-      Typical specimens: thin films, fine wires

á      Mini-tensile load frame

-      Load cells: 250 g-f, 100 lbs., 1000 lbs. tension/compression

-      Displacement: µm – mm range

-      Tension, compression, 3 or 4 point bending

-      Typical specimens: wires, foils, small structures (metal, ceramic, polymer)

 

á      Mini-penetration load frame

-      Load cells: 250 g-f, 100 lbs., 1000 lbs. tension/compression

-      Displacement: µm – mm range

-      Penetration and puncture

-      Typical specimens: soft polymers, natural tissue

á      Nano/Micro-contact tribology apparatus

-      10 g-f load cell, 0.1 mN load resolution

-      simultaneous load and contact resistance measurements

á      Thin film stress tool, substrate curvature

-      N2, from 20 to 500 ¡C (293 to 773 K)

-      In Vacuum, from –243 to 27 ¡C (30 to 300 K)

-      In Vacuum, from –20 to 800 ¡C (253 to 1073 K)

-      Typical specimens: thin films on Si wafer substrates

á      Thin film stress measurement, in-situ wafer curvature during sputter deposition (k-Space MOS)

á      Thin Film Stress measurement by membrane resonance

-      Vacuum, from -190 to 500 ¡C (83 to 773 K)

-      Thermal-expansion stress, stress relaxation

-      Typical specimens: electrically conductive thin films on Si wafer substrates

-      Capable of stress measurement in films of 20-100 nm thickness

á      Thin Film Bulge test

-      Vacuum, from 10 – 80 ¡C

-      Typical specimens: electrically conductive thin films on Si wafer substrates

-      Same sample geometry as membrane resonance; complementary technique

-      Capable of stress measurement in films of nano-scale thickness

 

Surface Roughness Measurement

á      Atomic Force Microscope (Digital Instruments 3000, also small sample MM-MFM heads)

-      Vertical range: 5 nm – 5 µm

-      Horizontal range: 1 µm – 100 µm square

-      Fluid cells

-      Contact, Tapping Mode, STM

á      Atomic Force Microscope (NT-MDT Solver NEXT)

-      Numerous AFM and SPM modes

á      Atomic Force Microscope (NT-MDT NTEGRA Invert on Olympus IX-71 optical microscope)

-      Numerous AFM and SPM modes

-      Air, liquids

-      TIRF optics

 

Sample Preparation

á      Bulk micromachining by TMAH or KOH

á      RIE of metals and nitrides

á      DRIE of silicon and silicon oxide

 

Medium/Large scale  Mechanical Testing

á      Fatigue test systems: Instron 1350 frames (2), MTS frame (1)

-      Load cells: 500 lbs. (500 N), 6000 lbs. (30 kN) tension/compression

-      Instron control electronics

á      Instron 5567 load frame

-      Load cells: 100 lbs. (500 N), 6000 lbs. (30 kN) tension/compression

-      Displacement: µm – m range

-      Strain gage channel (1)

-      BlueHill2 software suite

á      Instron 5500-R load frame

-      Load cell: 22.5 k-lbs. (100 kN) tension/compression

-      Displacement: µm –m range

-      BlueHill2 software suite

á      Charpy and Izod testers

 

 

 

 

 

Related facilities at Lehigh University include:

 

The Electron Microscopy Center (http://www.lehigh.edu/~inmicro/)

á      FEI Strata DB 235 Dual-Beam FIB

á      FEI XL30 Environmental SEM

á      Hitachi 4300 field-emission high-resolution SEM

á      JEOL 733 electron microprobe

á      JEOL 2200FS Cs-corrected 200kV field-emission TEM

á      JEOL 2000 FX 200 kV TEM

á      Vacuum Generators HB 603 STEM (300 kV)

 

 

The Sherman Fairchild Center for Solid State Studies

á      Microelectronics Laboratory (http://www.lehigh.edu/~insfl/micro/micro.htm)

á      Flat Panel Display Laboratory (http://www.lehigh.edu/~indrl/)

 

Materials Science and Engineering

Whitaker Laboratory

5 East Packer Avenue

Bethlehem, PA 18015-3195