Modeling and Experimental Evaluation Comparing Normal to c-plane Stress-Strain of Two-Step ICP Etched Microstructures

In this paper we will describe the fabrication of a two-step inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etch process to make various microstructures using contemporary quality 4H-SiC. The microstructures of interest are a nominal base-line design of a seismometer, a simple beam, and a ‘chiplet’ or ‘interposer’ for packaging. The first two structures will be tested in the linear elastic regime using a modified Dektak stylus profilometer to measure deflection versus force. ANSYS modeling will utilize the measured stress-strain data to determine the Young’s modulus. Future work on these devices will include SEM imaging, thermal oxidation, TEOS SiO2 and TaSi2 depositions, and thermal cycling to 800 °C.