Tensile testing of microfabricated thin films

Abstract

 Mechanical properties of titanium thin films of 0.5 μm thickness and aluminum thin films of 1.0 μm thickness, microfabricated by magnetron sputtering, were measured by using a novel tensile machine. These thin films are difficult to handle because they are fragile, so the thin film specimens were fabricated by using semiconductor manufacturing technology in a silicon frame to protect them. The test section of these specimens was 300 μm in width and 1400 μm in gauge length. By gripping the thin film specimen with a new device using a micrometer, it could be mounted on the tensile machine easily. The stress-strain diagrams of both thin films were measured continuously in the atmosphere at room temperature. The experimental results indicated that the titanium thin film and the aluminum thin film had a smaller breaking elongation although they had a larger tensile strength than bulk pure titanium and bulk pure aluminum, respectively.