Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Simple bending tests of single-crystal silicon microelements fabricated by photoetching were performed. Silicon microelements deform elastically until final catastrophic failure, showing a brittle nature. The fracture strength increases with a decrease in specimen size, and the maximum strength reaches about 8 GPa. A Focused ion beam was used to machine a sub-µm deep notch. Such a small notch decreases the fracture strength of a microelement. Some fatigue tests were conducted in laboratory air and in distilled water: water reduces the strength of microelement under fatigue loading. Fracture surface and sample surface were closely examined with a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope, and the fracture mechanisms are discussed from the nanoscopic points of view.