A new method of measuring residual stress in micromachined film is proposed. An estimation of residual stress is performed by using least squares fit with an appropriate deflection modeling. an exact value of residual stress is obtained without any of the ambiguities that exist in conventional buckling method, and a good approximation is also obtained by using a few data points. Therefore, the test structures area could be greatly decreased by using this method. The measurement can be done more easily and simply without any actuation or any specific measuring equipment. The structure and fabrication processes described in this paper are simple and widely used in surface micromachining. In addition, in-situ measurement is available by using the proposed method when the test structure and the measurement structure are fabricated on a wafer simultaneously.