A self-aligning microtensile setup: Application to single-crystal GaAs microscale tension–compression asymmetry

A novel microtensile setup was developed to overcome typical issues encountered in small-scale testing, particularly sample fabrication, sample handling, and misalignment. The system features a silicon (Si) gripper, which is able to self-align with the specimen main axis. Finite element simulations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials research 2019-07, Vol.34 (14), p.2517-2534
Main Authors: Casari, Daniele, Pethö, Laszlo, Schürch, Patrik, Maeder, Xavier, Philippe, Laetitia, Michler, Johann, Zysset, Philippe, Schwiedrzik, Jakob
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied and Technical Physics
Arsenides
Asymmetry
Biomaterials
Composite materials
Crack propagation
Crystallography
Deformation
Dislocations
Finite element method
Fracture surfaces
Gallium arsenide
Geometry
Grippers
Inorganic Chemistry
Ion beams
Ion etching
Materials Engineering
Materials research
Materials Science
Mechanical properties
Methods
Microelectromechanical systems
Microscopy
Misalignment
Nanomechanics and Testing
Nanotechnology
Nanowires
Plastic deformation
Reactive ion etching
Self alignment
Silicon
Simulation
Single crystals
Specimen geometry
Stress concentration
Symmetry
Twinning
Yield stress
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Summary:A novel microtensile setup was developed to overcome typical issues encountered in small-scale testing, particularly sample fabrication, sample handling, and misalignment. The system features a silicon (Si) gripper, which is able to self-align with the specimen main axis. Finite element simulations were employed to optimize the microtensile specimen geometry and to mechanically characterize the system. Specimens were prepared using focused ion beam milling, while reactive ion etching was employed to produce the grippers. The system was calibrated using single-crystal (100) Si specimens. The strength asymmetry of brittle crystals was investigated on the example of gallium arsenide (GaAs). Microtensile GaAs specimens and square micropillars sharing lowest dimensions of 1.70 ± 0.19 µm were tested along the [001] crystallographic orientation. Micropillars underwent plastic deformation via twinning in {111} planes and exhibited yield stress of 2.60 ± 0.14 GPa. The tensile experiment showed brittle failure at 1.86 ± 0.17 GPa associated with complex fracture surfaces and no measurable dislocation activity.
ISSN:0884-2914
2044-5326
DOI:10.1557/jmr.2019.183