Magnetomechanical effect in silicon (Cz-Si) surface layers

The mechanical properties of near-surface layers of Czochralski-grown silicon crystals Cz-n-Si(111) have been found to undergo changes in response to an external constant magnetic field (B ∼ 0.1 T). A magnetically induced variation in the microhardness, Young’s modulus, and coefficient of plasticity of silicon crystals correlates with the change in the lattice parameter and internal stresses of the sample. The growth of an oxide film under exposure to a magnetic field plays the principal role in the magnetomechanical effect due to a decrease in the concentration of oxygen complexes in the near-surface layers of the sample. In microstructured silicon, where the surface is considerably more developed, the magnetic field induces more profound changes in the internal stresses as compared to single crystals.