Pattern formation during delamination and buckling of thin films

Using a-simple lattice model, we study the failure of compressively strained thin films on solid substrates. Our simulations reproduce much of the observed phenomenology of thin film blistering. In particular, we observe a peculiar form of stress relief in which a wrinkle of delaminated film propagates along a sinusoidal path. At higher intrinsic strains, the sinusoidal wrinkles bifurcate, forming branches. Finally, we identify a high-strain regime in which the film delaminates by forming a buckling front with many irregular lobes. [S1063-651X(99)50603-X].