In this dissertation, I have investigated and developed a thorough understanding of the
mechanical properties of diamond-structured semiconductor materials at small length scales …

At ambient temperature and pressure, most of the semiconductor materials are brittle.
Traditionally, use of confining pressure via indentation or a hydrostatic confining medium [1 …

At ambient temperature and pressure, most of the semiconductor materials are brittle.
Traditionally, use of confining pressure via indentation or a hydrostatic confining medium [1 …

As the hardest known material, diamond represents the benchmark for the ultimate strength
of materials. It is thus a very attractive material for a number of mechanical applications …

Diamond, as the hardest natural material on earth, usually breaks in a brittle manner, but
with the size reduced to the nanoscale regime, it can have surprisingly large elastic …

Diamond is not only the hardest material in nature, but is also an extreme electronic material
with an ultrawide bandgap, exceptional carrier mobilities, and thermal conductivity. Straining …

When thinking of hard materials, descriptors like firmness, solidness, and rigidness come to
mind. Researchers have now given a twist to these concepts by microfabricating single …

Due to their outstanding mechanical properties, diamond and diamond-like materials find
significant technological applications ranging from well-established industrial fields (cutting …

As the backbone material of the information age, silicon is extensively used as a functional
semiconductor and structural material in microelectronics and microsystems. At ambient …

Diamonds have substantial hardness and durability, but attempting to deform diamonds
usually results in brittle fracture. We demonstrate ultralarge, fully reversible elastic …