Electroplated Nickel manufactured via the LIGA process, offers the possibility of stronger structure and connectors in a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS). In this study, the mechanical properties of electroplated Nickel thin film were characterized using three methods; tension test, bending test, and nano-indentation test.
In tension test, a linear guided motor was used and the applied force was measured using a load cell. Strain was measured with a dual microscope that obtains the displacement of two separated points by the tracking process of the image captured with CCD camera. In bending test, force and deflection of micro cantilever beam was obtained with nano-indenter. In indentation test, elastic modulus was measured using a continuous stiffness method.
Three types of specimen were prepared in the same wafer and tested after four month of aging, which reduces the variation of properties caused by fabrication condition and aging effect. The tension specimen is 15㎛ in thickness and 300㎛ in width. Cantilever beams are 15㎛ in thickness, 80 to 140㎛ in width, and 300 to 700㎛ in length, respectively. The indentation specimen has thickness of 15㎛. Young’s modulus were measured by three different testing methods and compared quantitatively.
