A micro test platform for in-situ mechanical and electrical characterization of nanostructured multiferroic materials

Abstract

This paper presents a novel approach to simultaneously fabricate a Si micro test platform and a nanostructured test specimen of a multiferroic material with critical dimension of 200nm and lateral aspect ratio of 33 for in-situ characterization in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The design is adjusted to allow for electrical resistance measurements and tensile tests. We report on a fabrication process comprising e-beam lithography and dry etching technology and, as a proof of concept, on the measurement of the force-displacement characteristics of Ni nanobeams.