Buckling of a stiff thin film on a pre-strained bi-layer substrate

Controlled buckling can impart stretchable mechanics to brittle materials when integrated as thin films on soft, elastomeric substrates. Typical elastomers are permeable to fluids, however, and therefor unable to provide robust barriers to entry of water, for instance, into devices built with the supported thin films. In addition, the mechanical strength of a system dominated by a soft substrate is often unsatisfactory for realistic applications. We show that introduction of a bi-layer substrate yields a robust, high strength system that maintains stretchable characteristics, with a soft layer on top of a relatively stiff layer in the substrate. As a mechanical protection, a soft encapsulation layer can be used on top of the device and the stretchability of the encapsulated system is smaller than that of the system without encapsulation. A simple, analytic model, validated by numerical analysis and FEA, is established for stiff thin films on a bi-layer substrate, and is useful to the design of stretchable systems.     

Controlled buckling of thin film on elastomeric substrate in large deformation

Electronic systems with large stretchability have many applications. A precisely controlled buckling strategy to increase the stretchability has been demonstrated by combining lithographically patterned surface bonding chemistry and a buckling process. The buckled geometry was assumed to have a sinusoidal form, which may result in errors to determine the strains in the film. A theoretical model is presented in this letter to study the mechanics of this type of thin film/substrate system by discarding the assumption of sinusoidal buckling geometry. It is shown that the previous model overestimates the deflection and curvature in the thin film. The results from the model agree well with finite element simulations and therefore provide design guidelines in many applications ranging from stretchable electronics to micro/nano scale surface patterning and precision metrology.     

Buckling and post-buckling of a stiff film resting on an elastic graded substrate

Systems consisting of a hard layer resting on an elastic graded soft substrate are frequently encountered both in nature and industry. In this paper, we study the surface wrinkling problem of such a composite system subjected to in-plane compression. The Young’s modulus of the elastic substrate is assumed to vary along its depth direction. In particular, we investigate two typical variations in the modulus, described by a power function and an exponential function, respectively. Analytical solutions which permit to determine the critical compressive strain for the onset of wrinkling and the wrinkling wavelength are derived. A series of finite element simulations are performed to validate the theoretical solutions and demonstrate the prominent features of the postbuckling evolution of the system. The results may not only find applications in thin-film metrology and surface patterning but also provide insight into the wrinkling phenomena of various living tissues.     

Mechanics of shaft-loaded blister test for thin film suspended on compliant substrate

Based on the von Kármán plate theory, the mechanics of a shaft-loaded blister test for thin film/substrate systems is studied by considering elastic substrate deformations and residual stresses in these films. In testing, films are attached to a substrate provided with a circular hole, through which loading is applied to the film by a flat-ended shaft of circular cross-section. The effect of substrate deformation on the deflection of the loaded film is taken into account by using a line spring model. For small deflections, an analytical solution is derived, while for large deflections a numerical solution is obtained using the shooting method. The resulting load-shaft displacement relation, which is essential in blister tests, compares favorably with finite element analysis.     

Buckling of a stiff film bound to a compliant substrate—Part III:: Herringbone solutions at large buckling parameter

We study the buckling of a compressed thin elastic film bonded to a compliant substrate. An asymptotic solution of the equations for a plate on an elastic foundation is obtained in the limit of large residual stress in the film. In this limit, the film's shape is given by a popular origami folding, the Miura-ori, and is composed of parallelograms connected by dihedral folds. This asymptotic solution corresponds to the herringbone patterns reported previously in experiments: the crests and valleys of the pattern define a set of parallel, sawtooth-like curves. The kink angle obtained when observing these crests and valleys from above are shown to be right angles under equi-biaxial loading, in agreement with the experiments. The absolute minimum of energy corresponds to a pattern with very slender parallelograms; in the experiments, the wavelength is instead selected by the history of applied load.     

Nonlinear analyses of wrinkles in a film bonded to a compliant substrate

Subject to a compressive membrane force, a film bonded to a compliant substrate often forms a pattern of wrinkles. This paper studies such wrinkles in a layered structure used in several recent experiments. The structure comprises a stiff film bonded to a compliant substrate, which in turn is bonded to a rigid support. Two types of analyses are performed. First, for sinusoidal wrinkles, by minimizing energy, we obtain the wavelength and the amplitude of the wrinkles for substrates of various moduli and thicknesses. Second, we develop a method to simultaneously evolve the two-dimensional pattern in the film and the three-dimensional elastic field in the substrate. The simulations show that the wrinkles can evolve into stripes, labyrinths, or herringbones, depending on the anisotropy of the membrane forces. Statistical averages of the amplitude and wavelength of wrinkles of various patterns correlate well with the analytical solution of the sinusoidal wrinkles.     

Fracture and debonding of a thin film on a stiff substrate: analytical and numerical solutions of a one-dimensional variational model

We study multi-fissuration and debonding phenomena of a thin film bonded to a stiff substrate using the variational approach to fracture mechanics. We consider a reduced one-dimensional membrane model where the loading is introduced through uniform inelastic (e.g., thermal) strains in the film or imposed displacements of the substrate. Fracture phenomena are accounted for by adopting a Griffith model for debonding and transverse fracture. On the basis of energy minimization arguments, we recover the key qualitative properties of the experimental evidences, like the periodicity of transverse cracks and the peripheral debonding of each regular segment. Phase diagrams relate the maximum number of transverse cracks that may be created before debonding takes place, as a function of the material properties and the sample’s geometry. The theoretical results are illustrated with numerical simulations obtained through a finite element discretization and a regularized variational formulation of the Ambrosio–Tortorelli type, which is suited to further extensions in two-dimensional settings.     

The electro-mechanical response of highly compliant substrates and thin stiff films with periodic cracks

We present results that describe the mechanical response of highly compliant substrates coated with ultra-thin stiff films, with thickness and elastic moduli differences spanning four orders of magnitude. Dimensional analysis based on shear-lag models of cracked films is used to identify key parameters that control the effective elastic properties of the cracked multi-layer, crack opening displacements, and the steady-state energy release rate for channeling crack formation. Analytical forms that describe multi-layer response in terms of film properties and crack spacing are presented and corroborated with numerical models for linear elastic materials. A key result is that the energy release rate scales with 1/(1 − α), where α is one of the Dundurs’ parameters describing elastic mismatch. The results can also be used to evaluate the performance of electrostrictive actuators comprised of cracked blanket electrodes and elastomer dielectrics. In this scenario, an interesting result is that ultra-thin cracked films can continue to distribute charge, since crack openings may be small enough to allow breakdown in air at typical operating voltages.     

Localized ridge wrinkling of stiff films on compliant substrates

Wrinkling of thin stiff films on thick compliant elastomeric substrates subject to plane strain compression is considered for cases in which the substrate is pre-stretched prior to film attachment. Advanced wrinkling modes are investigated that evolve as the systems are compressed beyond the onset of the primary sinusoidal wrinkling mode. If the substrate pre-stretch is greater than about 40%, an advanced mode in the form of a series of well-spaced ridges separated by relatively flat film is observed in the simulations. Our experiments reveal a localization mode in the form of alternating packets of large and small amplitude wrinkles, but not ridges, while ridge formation has been observed in other recent experiments. Measurements of undulation amplitudes have been made for wrinkle fields of stiff films formed by oxidation of the surface of pre-stretched PDMS substrates. Simulations have been performed with a finite element model and an analytical film/substrate model. The formation of the ridge mode is a consequence of the altered nonlinearity of the substrate produced by the pre-stretch. The role of the tangential substrate stiffness in suppressing localization at the ridges is also highlighted. If there is no substrate pre-stretch, or if the substrate is pre-compressed, the primary sinusoidal mode gives way to an entirely different sequence of advanced modes usually entailing period doubling followed by folding. The nature of substrate nonlinearity that leads to ridges or folds is discussed.     

Mixed-mode interfacial adhesive strength of a thin film on an anisotropic substrate

The mixed-mode interfacial adhesion strength between a gold (Au) thin film and an anisotropic passivated silicon (Si) substrate is measured using laser-induced stress wave loading. Test specimens are prepared by bonding a fused silica (FS) prism to the back side of a 〈1 0 0〉 Si substrate with a thin silicon nitride (Si_xN_y) passivation layer deposited on the top surface. A high-amplitude stress wave is developed by pulsed laser ablation of a sacrificial absorbing layer on one of the lateral surfaces of the FS prism. Due to the negative non-linear elastic properties of the FS, the compressive stress wave evolves into a decompression shock with fast fall time. Careful selection of the incident angle between the pulse and the FS/Si interface generates a mode-converted shear wave in refraction, subjecting the Si_xN_y/Au thin film interface to dynamic mixed-mode loading, sufficient to cause interfacial fracture. A detailed analysis of the anisotropic wave propagation combined with interferometric measurements of surface displacements enables calculation of the interfacial stresses developed under mixed-mode loading. The mixed-mode interfacial strength is compared to the interfacial strength measured under purely tensile loading.     

NON-SYMMETRICAL LARGE DEFORMATION OF A SHALLOW THIN SPHERICAL SHELL

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Non-symmetrical large deformation of a shallow thin conical shell

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Buckling of a stiff film bound to a compliant substrate—Part II:: A global scenario for the formation of herringbone pattern

We study the buckling of a thin compressed elastic film bonded to a compliant substrate. We focus on a family of buckling patterns, such that the film profile is generated by two functions of a single variable. This family includes the unbuckled configuration, the classical primary mode made of straight stripes, as well the pattern with undulating stripes obtained by a secondary instability investigated in the first companion paper, and the herringbone pattern studied in last companion paper. A simplified buckling model relevant for the analysis of these patterns is introduced. It is solved analytically for moderate or for large residual compressive stress in the film. Numerical simulations are presented, based on an efficient implementation. Overall, the analysis provides a global picture for the formation of herringbone patterns under increasing residual stress. The film shape is shown to converge at large load to a developable shape with ridges. The wavelength of the pattern, selected in a first place by the primary buckling bifurcation, is frozen during the subsequent increase of loading.     

From period-doubling to folding in stiff film/soft substrate system: The role of substrate nonlinearity

Uniaxial compressed stiff films on soft substrates can evolve into the period-doubling and folding instabilities, beyond the onset of sinusoidal wrinkling. The substrate is modeled as a neo-Hookean solid with a pre-stretch prior to film attachment, and its nonlinearity is obtained. Both the pre-stretch and the external nominal strain imposed on the film/substrate system can induce different substrate nonlinearity, and thus have different effects on the post-buckling mode evolution of the system. This study shows that the critical strain of period-doubling instability is linear to the pre-stretch. As the compressive nominal strain increases, the folding mode occurs beyond the onset of period-doubling in both the pre-tension and the pre-compression case, due to the softening/hardening effects for the inward/outward displacements generated by the positive substrate nonlinearity.     

Buckling of a stiff film bound to a compliant substrate—Part I:: Formulation, linear stability of cylindrical patterns, secondary bifurcations

The buckling of a thin elastic film bound to a compliant substrate is studied: we analyze the different patterns that arise as a function of the biaxial residual compressive stress in the film. We first clarify the boundary conditions to be used at the interface between film and substrate. We carry out the linear stability analysis of the classical pattern made of straight stripes, and point out secondary instabilities leading to the formation of undulating stripes, varicose, checkerboard or hexagonal patterns. Straight stripes are found to be stable in a narrow window of load parameters only. We present a weakly nonlinear post-buckling analysis of these patterns: for equi-biaxial residual compression, straight wrinkles are never stable and square checkerboard patterns are found to be optimal just above threshold; for anisotropic residual compression, straight wrinkles are present above a primary threshold and soon become unstable with respect to undulating stripes. These results account for many of the previously published experimental or numerical results on this geometry.     

Buckling and postbuckling of a compressed thin film bonded on a soft elastic layer: a three-dimensional analysis

The wrinkling of a stiff thin film bonded on a soft elastic layer and subjected to an applied or residual compressive stress is investigated in the present paper. A three-dimensional theoretical model is presented to predict the buckling and postbuckling behavior of the film. We obtained the analytical solutions for the critical buckling condition and the postbuckling morphology of the film. The effects of the thicknesses and elastic properties of the film and the soft layer on the characteristic wrinkling wavelength are examined. It is found that the critical wrinkling condition of the thin film is sensitive to the compressibility and thickness of the soft layer, and its wrinkling amplitude depends on the magnitude of the applied or residual in-plane stress. The bonding condition between the soft layer and the rigid substrate has a considerable influence on the buckling of the thin film, and the relative sliding at the interface tends to destabilize the system.     

Axi-symmetric contact on thin compliant coatings

This paper presents a theory for the indentation of a soft thin coating by a rigid body. The coating is assumed to be bonded to a rigid substrate and to behave linearly elastically. A simplifying approximation enables the stresses within the coating, averaged through its thickness, to be determined for particular indenter profiles. The results are shown to be sensitive to the thickness and compressibility of the coating material. Unlike much previous work, the results can be expressed analytically for certain indenter profiles and have been substantiated by experiment. The theory has many useful applications, in particular for situations where the layer acts as a protective coating and for the accurate, in situ and non-destructive measurement of the elastic modulus of the coating material.     

Three-dimensional large deformation analysis of thin walled beams

A set of kinematic assumptions and constraints is used to develop a formulation for the analysis of thin-walled beams, of arbitrary open cross-section, subjected to arbitrarily large displacements in three-dimensional space. The validity of the formulation is illustrated through numerical solutions for elastic lateral-torsional post-buckling behavior of “I” beams, and a comparison of these solutions with experimental results.     

Effect of elastic constants on crack channeling in a thin film bonded to an orthotropic substrate

A channeling crack confined in an orthotropic film bonded to an orthotropic substrate under a steady-state condition is investigated. The problem is formulated based on a modified Stroh formalism and an orthotropy rescaling technique, in order to determine the necessary material parameters required to describe the steady-state energy release rate. A closed form of the energy release rate is obtained with the exception of the normalized energy release rate for the transformed bimaterial structure that consists of the orthotropic film and isotropic substrate. The normalized energy release rates for the transformed problem are shown to depend on only four material parameters and are numerically calculated using finite element analyses. The periodic channels in the film layer of the bimaterial structure are also considered. The steady-state energy release rates for the periodic channeling cracks are obtained as a function of the ratio of the film thickness to the crack spacing for various combinations of the material parameters.     

Buckling modes of a compressed plate on an elastic substrate

The buckling modes of a homogeneously compressed elastic plate on a soft elastic substrate are studied. The critical compression is uniquely determined by the bifurcation equation, but this compression is associated with a wide set of buckling modes. It was proved that any solution of the Helmholtz equation satisfies the bifurcation equation. At the same time, in microelectronics, it is required to know which buckling mode is realized. Experimental and theoretical investigations show that the chessboard-like buckling mode should be expected. In what follows, this problem is discussed theoretically. The expected buckling mode can be found by analyzing the energy of the initial postcritical deformation, and the desired mode is determined from the condition of its minimum. The analytic expression of this energy is obtained. Its minimization results in the chessboard-like buckling mode.