Thin free standing single crystal films can be produced by sputter depositing a layer of stressable metal onto a single crystal substrate, treating the composite so produced to effect stressing of the metal layer which then peels away with a portion of the single crystal substrate attached to the metal layer. The free standing film thus produced has typical thickness in the order of tens of micrometers. The metal layer can subsequently be removed by acid etching or other suitable etching techniques, to leave the free standing single crystal film, having a thickness from about 5 microns to about 50 or more.