Phys.org November 2, 2023
Although there have been remarkable strides in achieving low-dissipation mechanical sensors by utilizing high tensile stress, the performance of even the best strategy is limited by the tensile fracture strength of the resonator materials. An international team of researchers (the Netherlands, USA – Brown University) found that a wafer-scale amorphous thin film of silicon carbide (SiC) material exhibited an ultimate tensile strength of over 10 GPa, reaching the regime reserved for strong crystalline materials and approaching levels experimentally shown in graphene nanoribbons. They fabricated amorphous SiC strings with high aspect ratios with mechanical modes exceeding quality factors 108 at room temperature. and demonstrated the performance after characterizing the mechanical properties of the thin film. The thin-film material has significant potential for applications in nanomechanical sensors, solar cells, biological applications, space exploration and other areas requiring strength and stability in dynamic environments… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
… artist impression of amorphous silicon carbide nano strings testing to its limit tensile strength. Credit: Science Brush