Defining Residual Stresses in Thin Film Structures

Abstract

AbstractResidual stresses are found in the majority of multilayer thin film structures used in modem technology. The measurement and modeling of such stress fields and the elucidation of their effects on structural reliability and device operation has been a “growth area” in the literature, with contributions from authors in various scientific and engineering disciplines.In this paper a review of the definitions of the residual stresses used by the authors in the various disciplines is presented and the mechanisms by which residual stresses may form in thin film systems is discussed.