Characterization of Mechanical Properties at the Micro/Nano Scale: Stiction Failure of MEMS, High-Frequency Michelson Interferometry and Carbon NanoFibers

Different forces scale differently with decreasing length scales. Van der Waals and surface tension are generally ignored at the macro scale, but can become dominant at the micro and nano scales. This fact, combined with the considerable compliance and large surface areas of micro and nano devices, can leads to adhesion in MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) and NanoElectroMechanical Systems (NEMS) - a.k.a. stiction-failure. The adhesive forces between MEMS devices leading to stiction failure are characterized in this dissertation analytically and experimentally. Specifically, the adhesion energy of poly-Si μcantilevers are determined experimentally through Mode II and mixed Mode I&II crack propagation experiments. Furthermore, the description of a high-frequency Michelson Interferometer is discussed for imaging of crack propagation of the μcantilevers with their substrate at the nano-scale and harmonic imaging of MEMS/NEMS. Van der Waals forces are also responsible for the adhesion in nonwoven carbon nanofiber networks. Experimental and modeling results are presented for the mechanical and electrical properties of nonwoven (random entanglements) of carbon nanofibers under relatively low and high-loads, both in tensions and compression. It was also observed that the structural integrity of these networks is controlled by mechanical entanglement and flexural rigidity of individual fibers as well as Hertzian forces at the fiber/fiber interface

Plasmon-assisted interaction of Si with light, for cancer hyperthermia and electromagnetic energy harvest

Metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) is applied for fabrication of silicon nanowires (SiNWs). We have shown the effect of amorphous sheath of SiNWs by treating the nanowires with SF6 and the resulting reduction of absorption bandwidth, i.e. making SiNWs semi-transparent in near-infrared (IR). For the first time, by treating the fabricated SiNWs with copper containing HF∕H2O2∕H2O solution, we have generated crystalline nanowires with broader light absorption spectrum, up to λ = 1 μm. Both the absorption and photo-luminescence (PL) of the SiNWs are observed from visible to IR wavelengths. It is found that the SiNWs have PL at visible and near Infrared wavelengths, which may infer presence of mechanisms such as forbidden gap transitions other can involvement of plasmonic resonances. Non-radiative recombination of excitons is one of the reasons behind absorption of SiNWs. Also, on the dielectric metal interface, the absorption mechanism can be due to plasmonic dissipation or plasmon-assisted generation of excitons in the indirect band-gap material. Comparison between nanowires with and without metallic nanoparticles has revealed the effect of nanoparticles on absorption enhancement. The broader near IR absorption, paves the way for applications like hyperthermia of cancer while the optical transition in near IR also facilitates harvesting electromagnetic energy at a broad spectrum from visible to IR