Young's Modulus, Residual Stress, and Crystal Orientation of Doubly Clamped Silicon Nanowire Beams

Initial or residual stress plays an important role in nanoelectronics. Valley degeneracy in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) is partially lifted due to built-in stresses, and consequently, electron-phonon scattering rate is reduced and device mobility and performance are improved. In this study we use a nonlinear model describing the force-deflection relationship to extract the Young's modulus, the residual stress, and the crystallographic growth orientation of SiNW beams. Measurements were performed on suspended doubly clamped SiNWs subjected to atomic force microscopy (AFM) three-point bending constraints. The nanowires comprised different growth directions and two SiO2 sheath thicknesses, and underwent different rapid thermal annealing processes. Analysis showed that rapid thermal annealing introduces compressive strains into the SiNWs and may result in buckling of the SiNWs. Furthermore, the core-shell model together with the residual stress analysis accurately describe the Young's modulus of oxide covered SiNWs and the crystal orientation of the measured nanowires.