Tensile strength of zinc oxide films measured by a microbridge method

Double-layered ZnO/silicon nitride microbridges were fabricated for microbridge tests. In a test, a load was applied to the center of the microbridge specimen by using a microwedge tip, where the displacement was recorded as a function of load until the specimen broke. The silicon nitride layer in the structure served to enhance the robustness of the specimen. By fitting the data to a theory, the elastic modulus, residual stress, and tensile strength of the ZnO film were found to be 137 ± 18 GPa, −0.041 ± 0.02 GPa, and 0.412 ± 0.05 GPa, respectively. The analysis required the elastic modulus, internal stress, and tensile strength of the silicon nitride layer. They were measured separately by microbridge tests on single-layered silicon nitride microbridges. The measured tensile strength of the ZnO films represents the maximum tolerable tensile stress that the films can sustain when they are used as the functional component in devices.