A new cantilever technique reveals spatial distributions of residual stresses in near-surface structures

A focused ion beam technique that allows the characterization of spatial residual stresses in near-surface structures with a depth resolution on the nanoscale and a lateral resolution in the micron range is introduced. It is based on the fabrication of a micro-cantilever and the gradual removal of the residually stressed material, which leads to a change in the measured deflection. The method is presented by determining a spatial stress distribution around a scratch in an 840 nm thin Ni film on Si.