A microelectronic device usually contained sharp features (e.g., edges and corners) that may intensify stresses, inject dislocations into silicon, and fail the device. The authors describe a method to analyze dislocation injection on the basis of singular stress fields near the sharp features, and apply the method to interpret available experiments of nitride pads on Si substrates.

Method to Analyze Dislocation Injection from Sharp Features in Strained Silicon Structures. Z.Zhang, J.Yoon, Z.Suo: Applied Physics Letters, 2006, 89[26], 261912 (3pp)