AVS 61st International Symposium & Exhibition
    Thin Film Friday Sessions
       Session TF+AS-FrM

Paper TF+AS-FrM2
Bulge Testing for Mechanical Characterization of sp2/sp3 Carbon Thin Films

Friday, November 14, 2014, 8:40 am, Room 307

Session: Thin Film Characterization
Presenter: Joseph Rowley, Brigham Young University
Authors: J. Rowley, Brigham Young University
R.C. Davis, Brigham Young University
R.R. Vanfleet, Brigham Young University
N. Boyer, Brigham Young University
S. Liddiard, Moxtek, Inc
M. Harker, Moxtek, Inc
L. Pei, Brigham Young University
Correspondent: Click to Email
Bulge testing is a technique employed to measure material properties of thin films. Pressurized gas is applied to one side of a film and it's subsequent deformation measured. In many cases, thin films are fragile and therefore difficult to handle. Bulge testing has the advantage of requiring much less handling than other methods, resulting in fewer samples lost to error or accident. Carbon membranes have a wide range of characteristics, depending on their bonding and nano-structure. They can have very desirable properties such as: being chemically inert, high wear resistance and low friction, and high hardness and/or strength. In this work, reactively sputtered sp2 carbon, diamondlike carbon from a pulsed laser deposition process, and a carbon nanotube reinforced polymer were characterized. PEELS and Raman Spectroscopy were used to determine sp3/sp2 ratios and density, CHN testing was used to determine hydrogen content, measuring the resonant frequency was a measure to check stiffness, and bulge testing was used to obtain the Young's Modulus and tensile strength.