Role of oxide thickening in fatigue crack initiation in LIGA nickel MEMS thin films

W. L. Shan, Y. Yang, K. T. Hillie, W. A. Jordaan, W. O. Soboyejo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and theoretical study of the fatigue crack initiation in LIGA Ni thin films with a thickness of 270. μm. The potential roles of surface oxide thickening and slip bands are explored for fatigue crack initiation. Surface oxides and roughness are characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The underlying crack driving forces associated with pop-in in surface oxide layers are then compared to those associated with the early stages of fatigue crack growth. The implications of the results are discussed for the modeling of fatigue in LIGA Ni micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) structures.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)434-440
Number of pages7
JournalMaterials Science and Engineering: A
Volume561
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 20 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Fatigue crack initiation
  • Fracture mechanics models
  • LIGA Ni MEMS thin films
  • Oxide thickening
  • Pop-in

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

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