Bendable Silicene Membranes

Due to their superior mechanical properties, 2D materials have gained interest as active layers in flexible devices co-integrating electronic, photonic, and straintronic functions altogether. To this end, 2D bendable membranes compatible with the technological process standards and endowed with large-scale uniformity are highly desired. Here, it is reported on the realization of bendable membranes based on silicene layers (the 2D form of silicon) by means of a process in which the layers are fully detached from the native substrate and transferred onto arbitrary flexible substrates. The application of macroscopic mechanical deformations induces a strain-responsive behavior in the Raman spectrum of silicene. It is also shown that the membranes under elastic tension relaxation are prone to form microscale wrinkles displaying a local generation of strain in the silicene layer consistent with that observed under macroscopic mechanical deformation. Optothermal Raman spectroscopy measurements reveal a curvature-dependent heat dispersion in silicene wrinkles. Finally, as compelling evidence of the technological potential of the silicene membranes, it is demonstrated that they can be readily introduced into a lithographic process flow resulting in the definition of flexible device-ready architectures, a piezoresistor, and thus paving the way to a viable advance in a fully silicon-compatible technology framework.

Automated summary

Due to their superior mechanical properties, 2D materials have gained interest as active layers in flexible devices co-integrating electronic, photonic, and straintronic functions altogether. Silicene-based bendable membranes have been successfully developed by detaching the layers from the native substrate and transferring them onto flexible substrates. These membranes exhibit strain-responsive behavior in the Raman spectrum of silicene and can form microscale wrinkles under elastic tension relaxation. Moreover, they show curvature-dependent heat dispersion and can be readily introduced into lithographic processes to create flexible device-ready architectures.