Strain field analysis of 3C-SiC free-standing microstructures by micro-Raman and theoretical modelling

In this article we compare the strain distribution observed in 3C-SiC/Si(100) cantilevers, using the shift of the transverse optical (TO) mode in micro-Raman maps, with the values predicted using a recent analytic theory [1]. By taking advantage of an under etching of the microstructures during the fabrication processes, that removes a thin layer of highly defective SiC close to the film/substrate interface near the edges of the microstructures, we show that the variation of the experimental measured strain can be ascribed to a non-linearity of the strain field along the 3C-SiC film thickness.