Actuation of thin polymeric films via electron irradiation is a promising avenue to realize devices based on strain engineered two dimensional (2D) materials. Complex strain profiles demand a deep understanding of the mechanics of the polymeric layer under electron irradiation; in this article we report a detailed investigation on electron-induced stress on poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) thin film material. After an assessment of stress values using a method based on dielectric cantilevers, we directly investigate the lateral shrinkage of PMMA patterns on epitaxial graphene, which reveals a universal behavior, independent of the electron acceleration energy. By knowing the stress-strain curve, we finally estimate an effective Young's modulus of PMMA on top of graphene which is a relevant parameter for PMMA based electron-beam lithography and strain engineering applications.
@article{arxiv.2007.02300,
title = {Stress-strain in electron-beam activated polymeric micro-actuators},
author = {Davide Giambastiani and Fabio Dispinzeri and Francesco Colangelo and Stiven Forti and Camilla Coletti and Alessandro Tredicucci and Alessandro Pitanti and Stefano Roddaro},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.02300},
year = {2020}
}