Near-theoretical fracture strengths in native and oxidized silicon nanowires

Published

June 21, 2016

Author(s)

Frank W. DelRio, Ryan M. White, Sergiy Krylyuk, Albert Davydov, Lawrence H. Friedman, Robert F. Cook

Abstract

In this letter, fracture strengths σf of native and oxidized silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were determined via atomic force microscopy bending experiments and nonlinear finite element analysis. In the native SiNWs, σf in the Si was comparable to the theoretical strength of Si〈111〉, ≈22 GPa. In the oxidized SiNWs, σf in the SiO2 was comparable to the theoretical strength of SiO2, ≈6 to 12 GPa. The results indicate a change in the failure mechanism between native SiNWs, in which fracture originated via inter-atomic bond breaking or atomic-scale defects in the Si, and oxidized SiNWs, in which fracture initiated from surface roughness or nano-scale defects in the SiO2.

Citation

Nanotechnology

Volume

27

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/27/31/31LT02

Keywords

fracture strength, silicon nanowires, atomic force microscopy, rapid thermal oxidation, reliability

Citation

DelRio, F. , White, R. , Krylyuk, S. , Davydov, A. , Friedman, L. and Cook, R. (2016), Near-theoretical fracture strengths in native and oxidized silicon nanowires, Nanotechnology, [online], https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/27/31/31LT02 (Accessed October 28, 2025)