Tensile testing of silicon thin films

The tensile strength of silicon thin films was investigated using a specimen chucking system dedicated for microscale specimens. The system uses electrostatic force to fix and hold the free end of the cantilever‐shaped specimens. The thin film tensile tester was built using this system. The accuracy and reliability of this method were assured by comparing it with other tensile‐testing methods using single‐crystal silicon specimens. The result shows good agreement between the testing methods. The strength properties of polysilicon thin films, such as the effect of the testing environment and the specimen size and the film fabrication conditions, were investigated.