The authors propose a single-pass forming technique for three-dimensional microstructures by shearing multilayer thin films. At a high strain rate, when strain is applied to a material at a speed higher than that of plastic wave propagation, the material is generally fractured without plastic deformation. In their experiment, a punch freely falling onto the back of a microfabricated mold allowed a high strain rate to be applied to the substrate. Multilayer thin films of eight evaporated layers of 250-nm-thick Si and SiO were successfully deformed to the bottom layer when the strain rate was over 1000-1500 s(-1). (C) 2008 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.2982241]