Estimation of sidewall skew angles of a structure

A method comprising:

• providing a device wafer containing a test apparatus, said test apparatus including a motion amplification structure suspended above a substrate of said device wafer, said motion amplification structure including a first beam, a second beam, and a paddle element, said first beam having a movable first end, a middle region configured to flex, and a second end, said second beam having a third end fixed to said substrate and a fourth end, wherein said second end of said first beam and said fourth end of said second beam are connected to said paddle element;
• inducing an axial force upon said first end of said first beam to cause flexion of said middle region;
• and
• determining a displacement of said paddle element in response to said axial force, wherein said flexion of said first beam in response to said axial force is an in-plane motion of said first beam, said in-plane motion being approximately parallel to a planar surface of said substrate, and when a sidewall of said first beam exhibits a skew angle relative to an axis perpendicular to said planar surface, said flexion of said first beam produces said displacement of said paddle element, said displacement of said paddle element being an out-of-plane motion of said paddle element, said out-of-plane motion being approximately perpendicular to said planar surface.

A method comprising:

• providing a device wafer containing a test apparatus, said test apparatus including a motion amplification structure suspended above a substrate of said device wafer, said motion amplification structure including a first beam, a second beam, and a paddle element, said first beam having a movable first end, a middle region configured to flex, and a second end, said second beam having a third end fixed to said substrate and a fourth end, wherein said second end of said first beam and said fourth end of said second beam are connected to said paddle element, wherein an etch process is used to produce said first beam;
• inducing an axial force upon said first end of said first beam to cause flexion of said middle region;
• determining a displacement of said paddle element in response to said axial force;
• and
• estimating a skew angle of a sidewall of said first beam in response to said displacement, said skew angle resulting from said etch process, and said skew angle defining a degree to which said sidewall of said first beam is nonparallel to an axis perpendicular to a planar surface of said substrate.