Relationships between strain and band structure in Si(001) and Si(110) nanomembranes

The flexibility of single-crystal Si nanomembranes allows strain to be applied elastically without introducing dislocations in the fabrication process, resulting in uniform strain. It is also relatively easier to apply different types and orientations of strain to Si using elastic-strain sharing than by the traditional graded-strained-layer approach. We use X-ray absorption spectroscopy to measure the effect of uniform biaxial strain on several features of the conduction band structure of Si with (001) and (110) orientations. By also measuring the Si 2p photoelectric threshold, we are able to determine the absolute positions of features of the Si conduction band and their change with strain.