Applications of non-contact deformation measurement in mechanical properties study of MEMS

The reliability and lifetime of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are strongly depending on the material properties. It is important to develop methods for the measurement of MEMS material proper-ties. In this paper an optical technique for measuring tensile strain of micro-specimen is proposed. The technique, which based on digital speckle correlation method (DSCM), works by determining the deformation of specimen between two neighboring loading step by step. The problem of non-correlation is solved when the deformation is too large. The experimental results of a copper wire (diameter 0.1mm) are given in this paper. The proposed technique is also applicable for measuring other MEMS materials that may be even smaller or thinner than that used in this paper.