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US 4,823,607 AGranted
Released film structures and method of measuring film properties
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsRoger T. Howe, Mehran Mehregany, Stephen D. Senturia
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Abstract
Released film structures are employed in measuring the mechanical properties of the film material. By measuring the deformation of thin film structures held under intrinsic tensile stress and then released, these mechanical properties can be accurately measured.
Claims17
A method of measuring film strain comprising:
- forming a bridged film structure on a substrate such that residual tensile stress induced in the structure is maintained by the substrate;
- recording the position of the structure;
- releasing the film structure from the substrate such that the residual stress deforms the structure;
- and
- measuring the displacement of the structure from its recorded position.
2 more elements
A releasable structure comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a film formed on the substrate having a main body and a bridge structure with intrinsic tensile stress such that the structure is maintained by the substrate and is releasable from the substrate such that the structure deforms.
A method of measuring the relationship between stress and strain in films comprising the steps of:
- forming a plurality of bridged film structures on a substrate having residual tensile stress such that each structure has a different geometry;
- releasing each structure from the substrate such that each structure is displaced by the residual stress;
- and
- measuring the displacement of each structure.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.