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An Experimental Study of Fracture of LIGA Ni Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Thin Films

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Abstract

This article presents the results of an experimental study of fracture in LIGA Ni micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) thin films. Microtesting techniques are developed for the study of the J-resistance curve (J-Δa) behavior in compact tension (CT) thin film specimens. In-situ measurements of crack-tip strain are presented together with in-situ and ex-situ microscopic images of crack-tip deformation and fracture mechanisms. Fractographic observation showed a mixture of inclined fracture planes (slant fracture) that are relatively featureless and normal fracture planes that exhibit dimples and microholes resulting from plastic deformation.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation (Grant No. DMR 0231418). The authors are grateful to the Program Manager, Dr. Carmen Huber, for her encouragement and support. The contribution of one of the authors (KSC) was supported by SwRI. The authors acknowledge the contributions by Messrs. John Campbell and James Spencer, both of SwRI, for performing the in-situ fracture tests and DISMAP strain measurements. One of the authors (BLB) thanks T.R. Christensen for the fabrication of the LIGA Ni test structures. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, and Princeton Institute for the Science and Technologies of Materials, Princeton, NJ , 08544, USA

    Y. Yang (Graduate Student) & W.O. Soboyejo (Professor)

  2. Department of Physics and Geology, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA

    S. Allameh (Assistant Professor)

  3. Materials and Process Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA

    B. Boyce (Staff Scientist)

  4. Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78238, USA

    K.S. Chan (Institute Scientist)

Authors
  1. Y. Yang
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  2. S. Allameh
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  3. B. Boyce
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  4. K.S. Chan
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  5. W.O. Soboyejo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to W.O. Soboyejo.

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Manuscript submitted February 28, 2006.

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Yang, Y., Allameh, S., Boyce, B. et al. An Experimental Study of Fracture of LIGA Ni Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Thin Films. Metall Mater Trans A 38, 1223–1230 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-007-9147-0

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