Raman and finite-element analysis of a mechanically strained silicon microstructure

Raman microspectroscopy has been used to determine the volumetric micro-strain distribution in mechanically stressed silicon microstructures. Data are presented as strain images with a spatial resolution of around 0.8 mum. A useful correlation is demonstrated between finite-element analysis calculations of volumetric strain and Raman shift. The results demonstrate that silicon beam structures incorporating a 90 degrees bend will experience a non-uniform stress distribution along the bend radius for small radii of curvature.