Damage analysis in Al thin films fatigued at ultrahigh frequencies

A quantitative damage analysis provides insight into the damage mechanisms and lifetimes of aluminum thin films fatigued at ultrahigh frequencies. Surface acoustic wave test devices were used to test continuous and patterned Al thin films up to more than 1014cycles. The analysis revealed increasing extrusion and void formation concentrated at grain boundaries. This finding and the observed grain growth indicate a high material flux at the grain boundaries induced by the cyclic load. A correlation between device degradation and defect density is established which is explained by a theoretical model. For stress amplitudes as low as 14MPa lifetime measurements showed no fatigue limit for 420nm Al thin films.