Raman stress maps from finite-element models of silicon structures

Raman spectroscopy finds applications in many research fields to monitor stress on a micrometric scale. Unfortunately, the interpretation of Raman maps is always complicated by the tensorial nature of stress and by averaging effects due to the finite spatial resolution of the technique. Usually, the interpretation is either purely qualitative or based on thorough simplifications. In this paper we present an approach that compares the experimental data with a virtual experiment using a finite-element model. The method is applied to the study of the stress generated in a microelectronic device during the manufacturing process. The results are used both as a feedback and a validation for the modeling and also for the interpretation of the Raman data. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.