Residual Stress Measurement in YBCO Thin Films

Residual stress in YBCO films on Ag and Hastelloy C substrates was determined by using 3-D optical interferometry and laser scanning to measure the change in curvature radius before and after film deposition. The residual stress was obtained by appropriate analysis of curvature measurements. Consistent with residual thermal stress calculations based on the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the substrates and YBCO film, the measured residual stress in the YBCO film on Hastelloy C substrate was tensile, while it was compressive on the Ag substrate. The stress values measured by the two techniques were generally in good agreement, suggesting that optical interferometry and laser scanning have promise for measuring residual stresses in thin films.