In Situ transmission electron microscopy imaging of electromigration in platinum nanowires

In situ transmission electron microscopy was performed on the electromigration in platinum (Pt) nanowires (14 nm thick, 200 nm wide, and 300 nm long) with and without feedback control. Using the feedback control mode, symmetric electrodes are obtained and the gap usually forms at the center of the Pt nanowire. Without feedback control,...

Current-induced nanogap formation and graphitization in boron-doped diamond films

A high-current annealing technique is used to fabricate nanogaps and hybrid diamond/graphite structures in boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond films. Nanometer-sized gaps down to ?1?nm are produced using a feedback-controlled current annealing procedure. The nanogaps are characterized using scanning electron microscopy and electronic transport...

Nanomechanical properties of few-layer graphene membranes

We have measured the mechanical properties of few-layer graphene and graphite flakes that are suspended over circular holes. The spatial profile of the flake’s spring constant is measured with an atomic force microscope. The bending rigidity of and the tension in the membranes are extracted by fitting a continuum model to the data. For flakes...

In situ imaging of electromigration-induced nanogap formation by transmission electron microscopy

The authors imaged electromigration-induced nanogap formation in situ by transmission electron microscopy. Real-time video recordings show that edge voids form near the cathode side. The polycrystalline gold wires narrow down until a single-grain boundary intersects the constriction along which the breaking continues. During the last 50?ms of...

Photolithographic patterning of the charge-density-wave conductor Rb 0.30 MoO 3

Orientation of the charge-density-wave chains in thin films of Rb 0.30 MoO 3