Stressed Silicon Nitride Membrane with Nickel Nanoparticles

An extremely thin (30 nm) free standing silicon nitride membrane with nickel nanoparticles, following heating with a short laser pulse. The nanoparticles react with the substrate, and the induced stress in the film creates large ripples in the membrane surface. 90 µm scan. Imaged with a MFP-3D AFM. Courtesy of S. MacLaren and K. Roos, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.