A model of mechanical behavior of microcantilever due to intrinsic strain during deposition of MEMS structures is derived. A linear ordinary differential equation is derived for the beam deflection as a function of the thickness of the deposited layer. Closed-form solutions are not possible, but numerical solutions are plotted for various dimensionless ratios of the beam stiffness, the intrinsic strain, and the elastic moduli of the substrate and deposited layer. This model predicts the deflection of the cantilever as a function of the deposited layer thickness and the residual stress distribution during deposition. The usefulness of these equations is that they are indicative of the real time behavior of the structures, i.e. it predicts the deflection of the beam continuously during deposition process.