In this study, an amorphous ZrCu layer was coated on different materials such as Si and Zr by sputter deposition and then fabricated into free-standing pull-off samples by focused ion beam (FIB). These samples were tested in tension in order to investigate the tension behavior of ZrCu/Si (ZCS) and ZrCu/Zr (ZCZ) interfaces. By examining the fracture modes and load-displacement curves, we estimated the interface strength of ZCS to be similar to 0.6 +/- 0.1 GPa, with fracture occurring exactly along the ZCS interface. In contrast, the ZCZ samples failed within the ZrCu layer with shear band penetrating though interface. The ZCZ interface strength appeared to be higher than that of ZrCu (which is similar to 1.7 +/- 0.1 GPa). This stress of tension results matched well with the micro-pillar compression results; the ZCS interface strength was consistently much lower than the ZCZ interface strength. It could be explained by modulus mismatch and different bonding states between ZrCu/Si and ZrCu/Zr interfaces. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.