Accurate method for determining adhesion of cantilever beams

Using surface micromachined samples, we demonstrate the accurate measuremen t of cantilever beam adhesion by using test structures which are adhered ov er long attachment lengths. We show that this configuration has a deep ener gy well, such that a fracture equilibrium is easily reached. When compared to the commonly used method of determining the shortest attached beam, the present method is much less sensitive to variations in surface topography o r to details of capillary drying. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [ S0021-8979(99)00414-4].