Strain-induced modifications of thin film silicon membranes by physical bending

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Margariti, Eleni and Bruckbauer, Jochen and Winkelmann, Aimo and Guilhabert, Benoit and Gunasekar, G. Naresh and Trager-Cowan, Carol and Martin, Robert W. and Strain, Michael (2025) Strain-induced modifications of thin film silicon membranes by physical bending. Materials. ISSN 1996-1944 (In Press)

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Abstract

Silicon, being the fundamental material for modern semiconductor devices, has seen continuous advancements to enhance its electrical and mechanical properties. Strain engineering is a well-established technique for improving the performance of silicon-based devices. In this paper, we propose a simple method for inducing and permanently maintaining strain in silicon through pure physical bending. By subjecting the silicon substrate to a controlled bending process, we demonstrate the generation of strain levels that persist even after the removal of external stress, with a maximum strain value of 0.4%. We present a comprehensive study of the mechanics behind the phenomenon, a full finite element mechanical model, and experimental verification of bending-induced strain in Si membranes using electron backscatter diffraction measurements. Our findings show the potential of this approach for strain engineering in high-performance silicon-based technologies without resorting to complex and expensive fabrication techniques.

ORCID iDs

Margariti, Eleni ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9301-4641, Bruckbauer, Jochen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9236-9320, Winkelmann, Aimo, Guilhabert, Benoit ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3986-8566, Gunasekar, G. Naresh ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9642-8137, Trager-Cowan, Carol ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8684-7410, Martin, Robert W. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6119-764X and Strain, Michael ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9752-3144;
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