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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2011
The Point-Deflection Method is a potentially useful technique for measuring the internal stresses of freestanding thin films. By applying a small concentrated transverse load at the center of a pre-stretched film, and measuring the corresponding out-of-plane displacement at appropriate locations, the average internal stress can be readily determined. The load-deflection relationship has been derived for both circular and rectangular shapes. The method involves no additional micromachining in sample preparation and has low sensitivity to the variations in boundary constraints. Its feasibility has been further substantiated with finite element simulations from a variety of perspectives, as well as experimental correlations from the stress measurements of a photomask pellicle film.