5 Werkstofftechnik
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Understanding the origins of intrinsic stress in Si nanowires (NWs) is crucial for their successful utilization as transducer building blocks in next-generation, miniaturized sensors based on anoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). With their small size leading to ultrahigh-resonance frequencies and extreme surface-to-volume ratios, silicon NWs raise new opportunities regarding sensitivity, precision, and speed in both physical and biochemical sensing. With silicon optoelectromechanical properties strongly dependent on the level of NW intrinsic stress, various studies have been devoted to the measurement of such stresses generated, for example, as a result of harsh fabrication processes. However, due to enormous NW surface area, even the native oxide that is conventionally considered as a benign surface condition can cause significant stresses. To address this issue, a combination of nanomechanical characterization and atomistic simulation approaches is developed. Relying only on low-temperature processes, the fabrication approach yields monolithic NWs with optimum boundary conditions, where NWs and support architecture are etched within the same silicon crystal. Resulting NWs are characterized by transmission electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The interpretation of results is carried out through molecular dynamics simulations with ReaxFF potential facilitating the incorporation of humidity and temperature, thereby providing a close replica of the actual oxidation environment - in contrast to previous dry oxidation or self-limiting thermal oxidation studies. As a result, consensus on significant intrinsic tensile stresses on the order of 100 MPa to 1 GPa was achieved as a function of NW critical dimension and aspect ratio. The understanding developed herein regarding the role of native oxide played in the generation of NW intrinsic stresses is important for the design and development of silicon-based NEMS.
A gray cast iron disc, which had been submitted to a heavy duty automotive brake test, was examined with energy filtered transmission electron microscopy. A graphite flake in a convenient angular position showed the shear interaction of graphite layers with the iron matrix in nano-scale resolution. Atomic layers of graphite were wedged into the ferritic bulk, allowing the entrance of oxygen and the subsequent formation of magnetite. The exfoliated few-layer graphene batches deformed heavily when forced into the matrix. When Raman spectra from the disc surface, which show distinctive carbonaceous bands, were compared with Raman spectra from graphite subjected to deformation in a shaker mill with different milling times, it could be seen that the shear stress on the brake surface was much more effective to induce disorder than the milling, where compressive and impact forces had been additionally exerted on the sample. During shear load the high anisotropy of elastic modulus in the graphite crystalline structure and the low adhesion between graphite basal planes allowed the exfoliation of wrinkled few-layer grapheme batches, causing the formation of more defect related Raman bands than the mechanical stress during high-energy milling.