In the present work, which is part of the SFB TR 103, we investigate chemical and microstructural properties of a Ni-based superalloy thin film and correlate these with micromechanical characteristics. An ERBO/1 film with ~3 µm thickness was sputtered on a single crystal sapphire wafer at 500°C. To identify the phases and investigate the chemical composition, microstructure, and surface roughness of the thin film X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and laser scanning microscopy (LSM) were conducted. Subsequently, micropillars were fabricated using a focused ion beam (FIB). These micromechanical samples were compressed in-situ with a flat punch indenter and load - displacement curves were recorded. Engineering stress – displacement curves were calculated and critical stress values were determined. The high strength of the thin film micropillars is correlated to the specific thin film microstructure consisting of thin lamellar grains and nanotwins.