Mechanisms of periodic deformation of the film-substrate system under compressive stress

The paper considers elastic and plastic deformation of metal, oxide and semiconductor films during their growth, thermal annealing and mechanical loading. It is shown that in a compressed thin film-compliant substrate system, wrinkling of the film surface and coherent deformation of the substrate take place. With a rigid substrate, compressive stress leads to elastic buckling of the film and its local or periodic delamination from the substrate. Plastic deformation of thin films is governed by competitive changes in their surface energy and strain energy. It is found that the periodic stress-strain distribution at the interface of two media plays a fundamental role and underlies the mechanisms for degradation of thin films under various external actions.