Article abstract
Nature Materials 5, 388 - 393 (2006)
doi:10.1038/nmat1606
Subject Categories: Semiconductors | Mechanical properties | Surface and thin films
Elastically relaxed free-standing strained-silicon nanomembranes
Michelle M. Roberts1, Levente J. Klein1, Donald E. Savage1, Keith A. Slinker1, Mark Friesen1, George Celler2, Mark A. Eriksson1 and Max G. Lagally1
Abstract
Strain plays a critical role in the properties of materials. In silicon and silicon–germanium, strain provides a mechanism for control of both carrier mobility and band offsets. In materials integration, strain is typically tuned through the use of dislocations and elemental composition. We demonstrate a versatile method to control strain by fabricating membranes in which the final strain state is controlled by elastic strain sharing, that is, without the formation of defects. We grow Si/SiGe layers on a substrate from which they can be released, forming nanomembranes. X-ray-diffraction measurements confirm a final strain predicted by elasticity theory. The effectiveness of elastic strain to alter electronic properties is demonstrated by low-temperature longitudinal Hall-effect measurements on a strained-silicon quantum well before and after release. Elastic strain sharing and film transfer offer an intriguing path towards complex, multiple-layer structures in which each layer's properties are controlled elastically, without the introduction of undesirable defects.
- University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53711, USA
- Soitec USA, 2 Centennial Drive, Peabody, Massachusetts 01960, USA
Correspondence to: Mark A. Eriksson1 e-mail: maeriksson@wisc.edu
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