What is the Young's Modulus of Silicon?

• Published in: Journal of microelectromechanical systems Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 229 - 238
• Main Authors: Hopcroft, M.A., Nix, W.D., Kenny, T.W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.04.2010; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Anisotropic magnetoresistance; Crystal lattices; Crystal structure; Crystalline materials; Crystallization; Design engineering; Elastic modulus; Elasticity; Lattices; Material properties; Mechanical engineering; Microelectromechanical systems; microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design; Micromechanical devices; Modulus of elasticity; Orientation; Poisson's ratio; shear modulus; Silicon; Young's modulus
• ISSN: 1057-7157; 1941-0158
• DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2009.2039697

The Young's modulus ( E ) of a material is a key parameter for mechanical engineering design. Silicon, the most common single material used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), is an anisotropic crystalline material whose material properties depend on orientation relative to the crystal lattice. This fact means that the correct value of E for analyzing two different designs in silicon may differ by up to 45%. However, perhaps, because of the perceived complexity of the subject, many researchers oversimplify silicon elastic behavior and use inaccurate values for design and analysis. This paper presents the best known elasticity data for silicon, both in depth and in a summary form, so that it may be readily accessible to MEMS designers.