Size Effects on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Thin Films
Author | : Md Alam |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : |
Release | : 2015 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:927777164 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (64 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: When electrical voltage is applied across a dielectric film, a very small amount of leakage current is measured across the material. The amount of leakage current increases with the increase of applied electrical field. As applied electrical field is increased gradually, the material fails at some point, which is known as the "breakdown" of the dielectric material. In this research work, it has been shown that mechanical stress alone can influence the amount of leakage current of the material, even though the applied electrical field is kept same throughout the process. This behavior is ascribed to the de-trapping of electrons under mechanical strain. This dissertation showed experimental evidence of length scale induced coupling between thermal, mechanical and electrical domains. The technological aspect of this research impacts micro and opto electronics, energy conversion, sensors and actuators and in general, nanotechnology applications. However, it is also very fundamental in nature, and the new phenomena that are explored will enrich knowledge of material behavior and lay foundation for the future work on multi-physics of material at nano scale.