Figure 2

a Schematic illustration of atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation of silicon nanowires. Laser beam was used to measure the cantilever bending deflection (that can be converted to mechanical force exerted by AFM cantilever) during the nanoindentation. b Typical force-piezo displacement (F-z) curve for AFM indentation of nanowires. c The image of silicon nanowire is obtained from tapping-mode AFM. The inset shows the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of silicon nanowires chemically grown. d Topological profile for cross section of nanowire along the line shown in (c)