Freestanding Oxide Membranes for Electronic and Electro-Mechanical Devices

In this talk I will present our results on synthesizing, releasing, stacking, and transferring oxide membranes while keeping the structural and functional integrity of the crystals intact. While the oxide crystal define the overall functionality, the freestanding membrane geometry provides a new freedom in choice of target substrate which enables new applications and functionalities not possible with conventional thin film growth. I will present our results on the integration and manipulation of strain and strain gradients enabled by transferring membranes onto flexible substrates, substrates with predefined topography, or substrates with microfabricated cavities allowing access to electro-mechanical degrees of freedom in freely suspended membranes. Also, transferring onto silicon opens new possibilities for electronic devices exploiting the powerful tools of conventional nano and micro fabrication, and the integration of oxide electronics in integrated circuitry. The realization of silicon/oxide hybrid electronics based on freestanding membranes will be presented and I will discuss the potential impact and possibilities of this methodology for realizing new functionalities in quantum devices.