Buckling and cracking ofY2O3thin films at grain boundaries

Abstract

With the help of atomic force microscope, ${\text{Y}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}$ thin films deposited on GaAs(111) substrates have been evidenced to buckle and to crack at the top side of the wrinkles. This morphological evolution has been explained in the framework of F\"oppl--von Karman's theory of thin plates integrating two elements: the pre-existing grain and subgrain boundaries in the films leading in the early stage of buckling phenomenon to a first folding effect and in their last stage of evolution; the cracking of the buckles from the previously formed folds.