The Extended Range of Reaction-layer Fatigue Susceptibility of Polycrystalline Silicon Thin Films

A linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis of a silicon dioxide-polycrystalline silicon (SiO2–Si) bimaterial system was performed to assess the vulnerability of micron-scale silicon structures, such as microelectromechanical systems, to fatigue in ambient air. Previous research has shown that fatigue of silicon films is due to a “reaction-layer fatigue” process where silicon structural films fail due to the sequential, mechanically induced thickening and environmentally assisted cracking of the silicon dioxide reaction layer which forms on the surface upon exposure to air. This work specifically considered the stability of a crack reaching the SiO2–Si interface. This analysis revealed a significant overestimate in the oxide thicknesses susceptible to reaction-layer fatigue reported in our previous studies. Instead, a surface oxide layer as thin as 15 nm may activate this fatigue mechanism for a polycrystalline silicon thin film whose fracture strength exceeds 5 GPa.