TY - JOUR A1 - Wollschläger, Nicole A1 - Tasdemir, Z. A1 - Häusler, Ines A1 - Leblebici, Y. A1 - Österle, Werner A1 - Alaca, B. E. T1 - Determination of the elastic behavior of silicon nanowires within a scanning electron microscope N2 - Three-point bending tests were performed on double-anchored, <110> silicon nanowire samples inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) via a micromanipulator equipped with a piezo-resistive force sensor. Representing the upper and lower boundaries achievable in a consistent manner, silicon nanowires with widths of 35 nm and 74 nm and a height of 168 nm were fabricated. The nanowires were obtained monolithically along with their 10-m-tall supports through a top-down fabrication approach involving a series of etching processes. Hence, no interface compliance was introduced between supports and nanowires. Exact nanowire dimensions and cross-sectional features were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) following sample preparation through focused ion beam (FIB) machining. Conducting the experiments inside an SEM chamber further raised the opportunity of the direct observation of any deviation from ideal loading conditions such as twisting, which was taken into consideration in simulations. Measured force-displacement behavior was observed to exhibit close resemblance to simulation results obtained by finite element modeling, when the bulk value of 169 GPa was taken as the modulus of elasticity for <110> silicon. Hence, test results show neither any size effect nor evidence of residual stresses for the considered nanoscale objects. The increased effect of the native oxide with reduced nanowire dimensions was captured as well. Thus this very simple in-situ testing method was found to be an alternative to elaborate AFM measurements on geometrically formidable nanostructures. The results demonstrate the applicability of the developed fabrication approach to the incorporation of silicon nanowires in functional micromechanical devices. KW - Silicon nanowire KW - Elastic behavior KW - Scanning electron microscope KW - Mechanical properties PY - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-370383 VL - 2016 SP - Article 4905838, 1 EP - 6 PB - Hindawi Publishing Corporation AN - OPUS4-37038 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yilmaz, M. A1 - Wollschläger, Nicole A1 - Esfahani, M. N. A1 - Österle, Werner A1 - Leblebici, Y. A1 - Alaca, B. E. T1 - Superplastic behavior of silica nanowires obtained by direct patterning of silsesquioxane-based precursors N2 - Silica nanowires spanning 10 μm-deep trenches are fabricated from different types of silsesquioxane-based precursors by direct e-beam patterning on silicon followed by release through deep reactive ion etching. Nanowire aspect ratios as large as 150 are achieved with a critical dimension of about 50 nm and nearly rectangular cross-sections. In situ bending tests are carried out inside a scanning electron microscope, where the etch depth of 10 mm provides sufficient space for deformation. Silica NWs are indeed observed to exhibit superplastic behavior without fracture with deflections reaching the full etch depth, about two orders of magnitude larger than the nanowire thickness. A large-deformation elastic bending model is utilized for predicting the deviation from the elastic behavior. The results of forty different tests indicate a critical stress level of 0.1–0.4 GPa for the onset of plasticity. The study hints at the possibility of fabricating silica nanowires in a monolithic Fashion through direct e-beam patterning of silsesquioxane-based resins. The fabrication technology is compatible with semiconductor manufacturing and provides silica nanowires with a very good structural integrity. KW - Silica nanowires KW - HSQ KW - Superplasticity KW - In situ bending tests PY - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aa5b80 SN - 0957-4484 SN - 1361-6528 VL - 28 IS - 11 SP - Article 115302, 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-39166 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tasdemir, Z. A1 - Wollschläger, Nicole A1 - Österle, Werner A1 - Leblebici, Y. A1 - Alaca, B. E. T1 - A deep etching mechanism for trench-bridging silicon nanowires N2 - Introducing a single silicon nanowire with a known orientation and dimensions to a specific layout location constitutes a major challenge. The challenge becomes even more formidable, if one chooses to realize the task in a monolithic fashion with an extreme topography, a characteristic of microsystems. The need for such a monolithic integration is fueled by the recent surge in the use of silicon nanowires as functional building blocks in various electromechanical and optoelectronic applications. This challenge is addressed in this work by introducing a top-down, silicon-on-insulator technology. The technology provides a pathway for obtaining well-controlled silicon nanowires along with microstructures up to a three-order-of-magnitude scale difference. A two-step etching process is developed, where the first shallow etch defines a nanoscale protrusion on the wafer surface. After applying a conformal protection on the protrusion, a deep etch step is carried out forming the surrounding microscale features. A minimum nanowire cross-section of 35 nm by 168 nm is demonstrated in the presence of an etch depth of 10 m. All cross-sectional features are characterized via transmission electron microscopy and linked to specific process steps. The technology allows control on all dimensional aspects along with the exact location and orientation of the silicon nanowire. KW - Silicon nanowire KW - Deep reactive ion etching KW - Transmission electron microscopy PY - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/27/9/095303 SN - 0957-4484 SN - 1361-6528 VL - 27 IS - 9 SP - 095303-1 EP - 095303-8 PB - IOP Publishing AN - OPUS4-35789 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yilmaz, M. A1 - Kilinc, Y. A1 - Nadar, G. A1 - Tasdemir, Z. A1 - Wollschläger, Nicole A1 - Österle, Werner A1 - Leblebici, Y. A1 - Alaca, B. E. T1 - Top-down technique for scaling to nano in silicon MEMS N2 - Nanoscale building blocks impart added functionalities to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The integration of silicon nanowires with MEMS-based sensors leading to miniaturization with improved sensitivity and higher noise immunity is one example highlighting the advantages of this multiscale approach. The accelerated pace of research in this area gives rise to an urgent need for batch-compatible solutions for scaling to nano. To address this challenge, a monolithic fabrication approach of silicon nanowires with 10-lm-thick silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MEMS is developed in this work. A two-step Si etching approach is adopted, where the first step creates a shallow surface protrusion and the second step releases it in the form of a nanowire. It is during this second deep etching step that MEMS—with at least a 2-order-of-magnitude scale difference - is formed as well. The technique provides a pathway for preserving the lithographic resolution and transforming it into a very high mechanical precision in the assembly of micro- and nanoscales with an extreme topography. Validation of the success of integration is carried out via in situ actuation of MEMS inside an electron microscope loading the nanowire up to its fracture. The technique yields nanowires on the top surface of MEMS, thereby providing ease of access for the purposes of carrying out surface processes such as doping and contact formation as well as in situ observation. As the first study demonstrating such monolithic integration in thick SOI, the work presents a pathway for scaling down to nano for future MEMS combining multiple scales. KW - Nanowires KW - Silicon KW - Top-down KW - MEMS PY - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1116/1.4978047 SN - 1071-1023 VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 022001-1 EP - 022001-7 PB - America Vacuum Society AN - OPUS4-39370 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -