Strain evaluation and fracture properties of hetero-epitaxial single crystal 3C-SiC squared membrane

The following paper explores the development the bulge test technique combined with the micro-Raman analysis and a refined load-deflection model for high quality 3C-SiC squared- membranes. By the minimization of the total elastic energy, starting from the isotropic relation between the stress tensor and the strain tensor, it is possible to calculate the relationship between the maximum deflection and the applied pressure, in both regime of small and large deflection. From the measured breaking pressure through the refined model it is possible to evaluate the breaking strain of the membrane. Furthermore, the relationship between the measured shift of Raman Transverse Optical (TO) phonon modes and the total residual strain (?a/a) within the epitaxial 3C- SiC layer was found.