Large strain deformation and cracking of nano-scale gold films on PDMS substrate

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of large strain tensile and cyclic damage in nano-scale gold (Au) thin films that were electron-beam deposited onto a 1mm thick polymeric substrate of poly-di-methyl-siloxane (PDMS). The effects of Au film thickness are examined for films with thicknesses of 50, 75 and 100 nm. Large strain deformation (up to 100%) is shown to give rise to grain boundary cracking that results in significant changes in film resistance under monotonic and cyclic loading. The implications of the results are discussed for development of flexible electronic structures.