On the dependence of surface undulation on film thickness

This paper investigates the dependence of surface undulation on a film thickness considerably greater than the critical value of a thin film system. It considers that surface tension and residual stress are the main cause of surface undulation. The study found that there is a critical undulation wavelength that minimizes the free energy of a thin film system, that this critical wavelength depends on the film thickness, and the effect of undulation amplitude is insignificant. The research also found that the surface undulation has a negligible influence on the residual stresses in the thin film system. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.