Title :

Cracking effects in squashable and stretchable thin metal films on PDMS for flexible microsystems and electronics

Author(s) :

Baëtens, Tiffany [Auteur]
Bio-Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems - IEMN [BIOMEMS - IEMN]
Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 [IEMN]
Pallecchi, Emiliano [Auteur]
Carbon - IEMN [CARBON - IEMN]
Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 [IEMN]
Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain [LPA]
Thomy, Vincent [Auteur]
Bio-Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems - IEMN [BIOMEMS - IEMN]
Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 [IEMN]
Arscott, Steve [Auteur]
Nano and Microsystems - IEMN [NAM6 - IEMN]
Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 [IEMN]

Journal title :

Scientific Reports

Publisher :

Nature Publishing Group

Publication date :

2018-06-22

ISSN :

2045-2322

English keyword(s) :

Electronics and photonics and device physics
Materials science
Nanoscience and technology

HAL domain(s) :

Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

English abstract : [en]

Here, we study cracking of nanometre and sub-nanometre-thick metal lines (titanium, nickel, chromium, and gold) evaporated onto commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. Mechanical and electromechanical testing ...
Show more >Here, we study cracking of nanometre and sub-nanometre-thick metal lines (titanium, nickel, chromium, and gold) evaporated onto commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. Mechanical and electromechanical testing reveals potentially technologically useful effects by harnessing cracking. When the thin film metal lines are subjected to uniaxial longitudinal stretching, strain-induced cracks develop in the film. The regularity of the cracking is seen to depend on the applied longitudinal strain and film thickness—the findings suggest ordering and the possibility of creating metal mesas on flexible substrates without the necessity of lithography and etching. When the metal lines are aligned transversally to the direction of the applied strain, a Poisson effect-induced electrical ‘self-healing’ can be observed in the films. The Poisson effect causes process-induced cracks to short circuit, resulting in the lines being electrically conducting up to very high strains (~40%). Finally, cracking results in the observation of an enhanced transversal gauge factor which is ~50 times larger than the geometric gauge factor for continuous metal films—suggesting the possibility of high-sensitivity thin-film metal strain gauge flexible technology working up to high strains.Show less >

Language :

Anglais

Peer reviewed article :

Oui

Audience :

Internationale

Popular science :

Non

ANR Project :

Plateforme de traitement laser pour l'électronique flexible multifonctionnelle

Collections :

• Institut d'Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN) - UMR 8520

Source :

Harvested from HAL