A capacitive based piezoelectric AlN film quality test structure

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a piezoelectric material that is commonly used in various MEMS applications. However, determining the properties of the thin film typically requires multiple test structures, and there are various methods for obtaining the piezoelectric properties. This paper highlights the development of a capacitive based test structure that is capable of determining the different material properties. In addition this paper compares various test methods used to determine the piezoelectric properties of AlN.