A new application of digital image processing to investigate thin compressed films: The measurement of buckling propagation

Thin films are used increasingly in technological applications involving microelectromechanical systems, optical reflectors, filters, dielectric stacks, and lithographic resists. However, although the mechanical properties of these submicrometer-thick films are paramount for their effective utilization, many issues remain unresolved to date on the measurement of such properties in thin-film systems. In this paper, an electromechanical device is designed to study the mechanical properties and stability of thin films using two piezoelectric translators. The buckling propagation of thin compressed titanium films deposited on organic glass substrates is investigated utilizing an optical microscope. The rigid-body displacement of the observation field, which is caused by external uniaxial compressive loading, is calculated by the digital image correlation method. Edge detection and filter are carried out to obtain binary images in which the edges of the buckle are obvious, and false noise is eliminated. Therefore, a series of binary images obtained under different loads contains the information on buckling propagation. Further, rigid-body displacement could be compensated for digitally, and the propagation of buckles could be singled out. The experimental results confirm the theoretical proposition that “subcritical” defects can be used to indicate the rigid-body displacement of a substrate. The same method can be used to investigate other problems associated with film buckling.