Elasticity, strength, and toughness of single crystal silicon carbide, ultrananocrystalline diamond, and hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous carbon

H. D. Espinosa*, B. Peng, N. Moldovan, T. A. Friedmann, X. Xiao, D. C. Mancini, O. Auciello, J. Carlisle, C. A. Zorman, M. Merhegany

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

73 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this work, the authors report the mechanical properties of three emerging materials in thin film form: single crystal silicon carbide (3C-SiC), ultrananocrystalline diamond, and hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous carbon. The materials are being employed in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. Several reports addressed some of the mechanical properties of these materials but they are based in different experimental approaches. Here, they use a single testing method, the membrane deflection experiment, to compare these materials' Young's moduli, characteristic strengths, fracture toughnesses, and theoretical strengths. Furthermore, they analyze the applicability of Weibull theory [Proc. Royal Swedish Inst. Eng. Res. 153, 1 (1939); ASME J. Appl. Mech. 18, 293 (1951)] in the prediction of these materials' failure and document the volume-or surface-initiated failure modes by fractographic analysis. The findings are of particular relevance to the selection of micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems materials for various applications of interest.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number073111
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume89
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006

Funding

The work at Northwestern University was supported in part by the NSF-Nano Science Interdisciplinary Research Teams (NIRT) under Award No. CMS-00304472.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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