Delamination of metal thin films on polymer substrates: from straight-sided blisters to varicose structures

Uniaxial compression has been generated in thin films of nickel deposited on a polycarbonate substrate. Atomic force microscopy investigations have emphasized the formation of straight-sided blisters which have been observed to evolve to periodic distributions of droplets. The energy variation associated with the formation of the droplets has been computed and the morphological change of the film has been discussed as a function of the residual stress.