In Situ Platform for Isothermal Testing of Thin-Film Mechanical Properties Us…

Abstract—An in situ tensile test platform has been developed to study the mechanical properties of thin-film metal specimens. The fully integrated on-chip platform loads a specimen using a thermal actuator (TA). TAs conveniently provide high forces and excellent alignment, but generate large heat that can flow to specimens and raise their temperature. In the new design, heat flow to the speci…