In situ high temperature creep deformation of micro-structure with metal film wire on flexible membrane using geometric phase analysis

A way of measuring the in situ high temperature creep deformation of a micro-structure with a metal film wire on a flexible membrane is developed. The creep deformation measurement of a micro-structure with a Karma alloy wire on a polyimide membrane is used as an application. High temperature gratings were fabricated directly on the surfaces of two Karma alloy wires using the focused ion beam milling technique after the grating frequencies were designed. The grating morphologies with different isothermal soaking time were recorded by a scanning electron microscope with a heating apparatus. The in situ high temperature creep deformations in a micro-region of the structure were measured by performing the geometric phase analysis. The creep behaviors of this structure at 300 °C and 500 °C were analyzed. The developed measurement method is prospective in evaluating the reliability of the film-wire/substrate structures at a high temperature.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Developed a way to measure the high temperature creep of a micro-structure in situ. ► Designed micro-gratings used at high temperatures in a SEM with a heating apparatus. ► Successfully fabricated micro-gratings on Karma alloy wires on a PI membrane by FIB. ► Studied the high temperature creep behavior of a Karma/PI structure based on GPA.