Buckling and Postbuckling Behavior of Thin Film Suspended on an Elastomeric Substrate with Sinusoidal Surface Relief Structures

The thin film buckling behavior plays an important role in the design of stretchable structures for flexible inorganic electronic devices. In this study, the buckling and post-buckling behavior of a thin film suspended on a stretchable substrate with sinusoidal surface relief microstructures was investigated by theoretical analysis and finite element simulations. The mechanical model of the film–substrate system was established by using the energy method, and the theoretical expressions for the amplitude and maximum strains of the suspension-supported film on the micro-structured surface during buckling and post-buckling were obtained. The correctness of the established theoretical model was verified by the finite element analysis results, and the effects of pre-strain and microstructure spacing on the film buckling and post-buckling processes were investigated. In addition, the stretchability of the film–substrate system and the effects of geometrical parameters on its stretchability were analyzed. The above results can provide theoretical guidance for the structural design and preparation of new flexible electronic devices.