Size-dependent effective Young's modulus of silicon nitride cantilevers

作者：Gavan Khashayar Babaei^*; Westra Hidde J R; van der Drift Emile W J M; Venstra Warner J; van der Zant Herre S J

来源：Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 94(23): 233108.

DOI：10.1063/1.3152772

• bending strength
• cantilevers
• elasticity
• silicon compounds
• thermal noise
• Young's modulus

The effective Young's modulus of silicon nitride cantilevers is determined for thicknesses in the range of 20-684 nm by measuring resonance frequencies from thermal noise spectra. A significant deviation from the bulk value is observed for cantilevers thinner than 150 nm. To explain the observations we have compared the thickness dependence of the effective Young's modulus for the first and second flexural resonance mode and measured the static curvature profiles of the cantilevers. We conclude that surface stress cannot explain the observed behavior. A surface elasticity model fits the experimental data consistently.

• 出版日期2009-6-8