Does it describe a new discovery or a new methodology that's useful to others?

Besides summarizing various adhesion testing techniques and data, this paper describes the superlayer indentation test, which can be applied for as-deposited, as-processed thin films. Based on the superlayer indentation test results, models incorporating thin film geometry and test temperature are also introduced.

Many industries rely on thin films, with paint being one of the thin films representatives. An example of adhesion failure would be paint peeling off a car or a house. In order to prevent this, it is important to be able to measure how well the paint sticks (adheres) and to do so as a function of several parameters including temperature. This paper summarizes various techniques and results of testing thin film adhesion.

This paper is a result of research conducted at the University of Minnesota, Sandia National Labs, and Motorola. This started out as a graduate research project, which has triggered interest of national labs and the industry. The timing was just right, as the microelectronics industry was switching from Al to Cu interconnects, which had poor adhesion to substrates.