Fixtureless Stress-Engineered Test Methods for the Measurement of Interfacial Fracture Toughness for Micro- and Nano-scale Thin-film Interfaces

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Micro- and nano-scale thin films are being increasingly used in a wide range of applications, and the experimental characterization of interfacial properties of such thin films is challenging, yet necessary for design against interfacial delamination. This proposal aims to develop an innovative fixture-less superlayer based decohesion test with a sandwiched etchable release layer to measure the interfacial fracture toughness of a thin film deposited on a substrate. Two versions of the proposed test will be developed: in the single-substrate version, the release layer will have a uniform width, while in the single-strip version, the release layer will have a varying width. Case studies will focus primarily on microelectronics and composite materials for automotive/structural applications. Thin-films with thickness ranging from 50 nm to few microns will be studied. Efforts will be made to standardize the developed approach through professional and testing societies, and peer-reviewed articles will be published. Students will gain experience with clean-room processing. K-12 students and high-school teachers will also participate.