Mechanical Durability of Inorganic Films on Flexible Substrates

Flexible electronics such as flexible displays are multilayer structures based on substrates foils engineered with a diversity of thin‐film architectures. This chapter introduces basic mechanical concepts and provides key ingredients for rational design of flexible display structures, with focus on critical strain for damage and associated critical radius of curvature. It also introduces important materials for flexible displays and highlights their property contrast. The chapter describes the analysis of stresses and strains and related critical radius of multilayer structures, with attention paid to process‐induced internal strains. It details the main test methods and the analysis of failure mechanisms under tensile and compressive loading, and are illustrated with case studies from the literature. The chapter is devoted to durability influences, including the effect of temperature, fatigue, and corrosion. It is a short review of the development of robust, unbreakable films and layer materials relevant to flexible displays.