Direct Observation of the Wind Force in Aluminum Nanowires

ORAL

Abstract

Using recently developed techniques based on in situ mapping of valence electron energy loss spectra (EELS) in a transmission electron microscope (TEM), it is now possible to efficiently determine electron density changes in nanowires with parts-per-thousand precision. By mapping the bulk plasmon energy we quantify density changes throughout an aluminum wire with sub-10 nm spatial resolution, both while it carries electric current and after the current has been switched off. We observe changes in the wire density that are both even and odd in the sign of the applied current, which we attribute to thermal expansion and an electron wind force respectively. Our measurements are the first direct observation of the Blech effect, whereby strain in a current-carrying wire is induced to balance an applied force.

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Presenters

  • Matthew Mecklenburg

    CEMMA, Univ of Southern California, Univ of Southern California, University of Southern California, Center for Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Southern California

Authors

  • Matthew Mecklenburg

    CEMMA, Univ of Southern California, Univ of Southern California, University of Southern California, Center for Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Southern California

  • Brian Zutter

    Department of Physics & Astronomy, UCLA, Physics, University of California, Los Angeles

  • William Hubbard

    Department of Physics & Astronomy, UCLA, Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Shaul Aloni

    Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

  • Brian Regan

    Department of Physics & Astronomy, UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles