Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
This paper presents mechanical characteristics of sputtered Al-Si-Cu film used as a structural material in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Novel tensile test technique with an elongation measurement image analysis system has been developed. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted at temperatures ranging from room temperature (R.T.) to 358 K. No specimen-size effect on Young's modulus, yield stress, and fracture strength, was found, whereas the annealing and temperature effects were clearly observed. To study mechanical degradation mechanism, cyclic loading tests were conducted under constant stress- and strain-amplitude modes. In constant stress-amplitude mode, stain amplitude increased with an increase of loading cycles due to creep-like deformation. Almost of the specimens fractured during the tests. Meanwhile, in constant strain-amplitude mode, stress amplitude gradually decreased with increasing cycles due to stress-relaxation, but no fatigue failure was observed.