Substrate Influence on the Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of Gold Thin Films for MEMS Applications

Abstract

The development of micro-and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) makes use of different thin films such as aluminum, gold, silicon, silver, titanium nitride, silicon carbide etc. This study is a research concerning the influence of substrate nature on the tribological and mechanical characteristics of gold thin films elaborated by thermal evaporation method, for space applications. Three different substrates were employed, namely: C45 steel, plastic (polycarbonate) and glass. Atomic force microscopy investigations were performed in order to characterize the obtained thin films at nanoscale. The nanohardness, Young’s modulus, roughness and the friction force are some characteristics that were determined. A significant influence of substrate nature on both mechanical and tribological properties of researched gold thin films was marked out. Regarding the topography, the smallest roughness was determined on the gold thin films deposited on glass substrate.