New Method to Measure Tensile Strength of Low Modulus Thin Films

In this study, we present a new fracture testing technique that can be used to determine the tensile strength of low strength thin films. This test utilizes standard photolithography processes to fabricate test samples and to perform the test. Finite element analysis is then used to extract tensile strength from the experimental data. This technique is demonstrated by measuring tensile strength values for parylene-C thin films. The polymer parylene-C is commonly deposited as a thin film and used in a wide range of applications, but few reports have been presented on its mechanical properties. Test samples were fabricated on glass slides with 100 nm of SiO2 and 1 μm or 3.64 μm of parylene-C. The tensile strength of parylene-C was determined to be in the range of 57 MPa by using finite element analysis to extract the tensile strength from the experimental data.