This article presents a comprehensive study and design methodology of co-integrated oscillators for nano mass sensing application based on resonant Nano-Electro-Mechanical-System (NEMS). In particular, it reports the capacitive with the piezoresistive transduction schemes in terms of the overall sensor performance. The developed model is clearly in accordance with the general experimental observations obtained for NEMS-based mass detection. The piezoresistive devices are much sensitive (up to 10 zg/?Hz) than capacitive ones (close to 100 zg/?Hz) since they can work at higher frequency. Moreover, the high doped silicon piezoresistive gauge, which is of a great interest for very large scale integration displays similar theoretical resolution than the metallic gauge already used experimentally.
A suspended, doubly clamped single wall carbon nanotube is characterized as driven nano-electromechanical resonator at cryogenic temperatures. Electronically, the carbon nanotube displays small bandgap behaviour with Coulomb blockade oscillations in electron conduction and transparent contacts in hole conduction. We observe the driven mechanical resonance in dc-transport, including multiple higher harmonic responses. The data shows a distinct negative frequency tuning at finite applied gate voltage, enabling us to electrostatically decrease the resonance frequency to 75% of its maximum value. …
We discuss negative damping regimes in quantum nano-electromechanical systems formed by coupling a mechanical oscillator to a single-electron transistor (normal or superconducting). Using an analogy to a laser with a tunable atom-field coupling, we demonstrate how these effects scale with system parameters. We also discuss the fluctuation physics of both the oscillator and the single-electron transistor in this regime, and the degree to which the oscillator motion is coherent.
Graphene nanoribbons present diverse electronic properties ranging from semiconducting to half-metallic, depending on their geometry, dimensions and chemical composition. Here we present a route to control these properties via externally applied mechanical deformations. Using state-of-the-art density functional theory calculations combined with classical elasticity theory considerations, we find a remarkable Young's modulus value of ~7 TPa for ultra-narrow graphene strips and a pronounced electromechanical response towards bending and torsional deformations. Given the current advances in the s…
We investigate the mechanical properties of a doubly-clamped, double-layer nanobeam embedded into an electromechanical system. The nanobeam consists of a highly pre-stressed silicon nitride and a superconducting niobium layer. By measuring the mechanical displacement spectral density both in the linear and the nonlinear Duffing regime, we determine the pre-stress and the effective Young's modulus of the nanobeam. An analytical double-layer model quantitatively corroborates the measured values. This suggests that this model can be used to design mechanical multilayer systems for electro- and op…
A detailed analysis of electromechanically induced absorption (EMIA) in a circuit nano-electromechanical hybrid system consisting of a superconducting microwave resonator coupled to a nanomechanical beam is presented. By performing two-tone spectroscopy experiments we have studied EMIA as a function of the drive power over a wide range of drive and probe tone detunings. We find good quantitative agreement between experiment and theoretical modeling based on the Hamiltonian formulation of a generic electromechanical system. We show that the absorption of microwave signals in an extremely narrow…
We study the properties of a nano-electromechanical system in the coherent regime, where the electronic and vibrational time scales are of the same order. Employing a master equation approach, we obtain the stationary reduced density matrix retaining the coherences between vibrational states. Depending on the system parameters, two regimes are identified, characterized by either ($i$) an {\em effective} thermal state with a temperature {\em lower} than that of the environment or ($ii$) strong coherent effects. A marked cooling of the vibrational degree of freedom is observed with a suppression…
The monolithic integration of electromechanical transduction at the nanoscale with advanced CMOS is among the most important challenges of semiconductor electronic systems to leverage the multi-domain sensing, actuation, and resonance properties of nano-mechanical systems. Here we report on the demonstration of vibrating devices enabled by atomically engineered ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin films with a variety of mechanical resonance modes with frequencies (f0) between 340kHz - 13GHz and frequency-quality (Q) factor products (f0 x Q) up to 3.97 x 10^12. Experiments based on electrical and o…
We present a new generation of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS), which are realized by doping the semiconductor base material. In contrast to the traditional approach these doped NEMS (D-NEMS) do not require a metallization layer. This makes them far lighter and hence increases resonance frequency and quality factor. Additionally, D-NEMS can be tuned from the conductive state into an insulating one. This will enable a host of new device designs, like mechanically tunable pin-junctions and nanomechanical single electron switches. We demonstrate D-NEMS fabrication and operation from the int…
Nano electromechanical systems are considered as ultra sensitive devices for mass and force detection. Capacitive actuation is widely used in these devices but is known to degrade the quality factor of the resonator due to DC electrostatic damping. We report the enhancement of the quality factor of SiC vibrating nanowires detected nano optomechanically and electrically by applying an AC capacitive driving at a frequency above both the resonance frequency and the electrical cutoff frequency. Self-oscillations are demonstrated for optimal conditions. We developed an analytical model of the pheno…
The biofunctionalization of nanoelectromechanical structures is critical for the development of new classes of biosensors displaying improved performances and higher-level of integration. We propose a modified microcontact printing method for the functionalization and passivation of large arrays of nanocantilevers in a single, self-aligned step. Using fluorescence microscopy and resonant frequency measurements, we demonstrate (1) the bioactivity and the anti-fouling property of deposited antibodies and BSA molecules and (2) the preservation of the nanostructures' mechanical integrity.
Magnetically coupling a nano-mechanical resonator to a double quantum dot confining two electrons can enable the manipulation of a single electron spin and the readout of the resonator's natural frequency. When the Larmor frequency matches the resonator frequency, the electron spin in one of the dots can be selectively flipped by the magnetised resonator. By simultaneously measuring the charge state of the two-electron double quantum dots, this transition can be detected thus enabling the natural frequency of the mechanical resonator to be determined.
We develop a theory for the full counting statistics (FCS) for a class of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), describable by a Markovian generalized master equation. The theory is applied to two specific examples of current interest: vibrating C60 molecules and quantum shuttles. We report a numerical evaluation of the first three cumulants for the C60-setup; for the quantum shuttle we use the third cumulant to substantiate that the giant enhancement in noise observed at the shuttling transition is due to a slow switching between two competing conduction channels. Especially the last example …
We investigate the dynamics of a single phonon (oscillator) mode linearly coupled to an electronic few-level system in contact with external particle reservoirs (leads). A stationary electronic current through the system generates non-trivial dynamical behaviour of the oscillator. Using Feynman-Vernon influence functional theory, we derive a Langevin equation for the oscillator trajectory that is non-perturbative in the system-leads coupling and from which we extract effective oscillator potentials and friction coefficients. For the two simplest cases of a single and two coupled electronic lev…
We have studied the rectified current in a geometrically symmetric nano-electromechanical shuttle with periodic kicks and sinusoidal ac bias voltages. The rectified current is exactly zero under the geometrical symmetry which is generated by the electrons transferred from source to drain electrodes through the movable shuttle. We investigate the nonzero rectified currents through the symmetric shuttle with regular motion of which the time-translational symmetry is broken. The motion of the shuttle, moreover, becomes chaotic with the same mechanism of the kicked rotor and generates the scattere…
Monolayer graphene exhibits exceptional electronic and mechanical properties, making it a very promising material for nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) devices. Here, we conclusively demonstrate the piezoresistive effect in graphene in a nano-electromechanical membrane configuration that provides direct electrical readout of pressure to strain transduction. This makes it highly relevant for an important class of nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) transducers. This demonstration is consistent with our simulations and previously reported gauge factors and simulation values. The membrane in our expe…
We consider the motion of and Josephson current through a mechanically oscillating superconducting island asymmetrically embedded in a Josephson junction. The electromechanical coupling is provided by distance dependent tunneling rates between the electrodes and the island. The system asymmetry, resulting from the geometrical configuration, leads, for weak coupling, to an equation of the mechanical motion that reduces to the well-known Duffing equation. At zero bias voltage the island motion is determined by the homogenous Duffing equation that opens up two separate regions of solutions depend…
Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMs) hold promise for a number of scientific and technological applications. In particular, NEMs oscillators have been proposed for use in ultrasensitive mass detection, radio-frequency signal processing, and as a model system for exploring quantum phenomena in macroscopic systems. Perhaps the ultimate material for these applications is a carbon nanotube. They are the stiffest material known, have low density, ultrasmall cross-sections and can be defect-free. Equally important, a nanotube can act as a transistor and thus may be able to sense its own motion. In s…
We consider a single electron transistor where the central island can oscillate. It has been shown that for weak coupling of the elastic and electric degrees of freedom the position of the island fluctuates with a small variation of the current through the device. In this paper we consider the strong coupling limit. We show that the system undergoes a static mechanical instability that is responsible for the opening of a gap in the current voltage characteristics even at the degeneracy point. We provide an analytical description of the transition point. We also discuss how the mechanical natur…
Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) constitute a class of devices lying at the interface between fundamental research and technological applications. Integrating novel materials such as graphene into NEMS allows studying their mechanical and electromechanical characteristics at the nanoscale and addressing fundamental questions such as electron-phonon interaction and bandgap engineering. In this work, we integrate single and bilayer graphene into NEMS and probe the interplay between their mechanical and electrical properties. We show that the deflection of monolayer graphene nanoribbons resul…
We use suspended graphene electromechanical resonators to study the variation of resonant frequency as a function of temperature. Measuring the change in frequency resulting from a change in tension, from 300 K to 30 K, allows us to extract information about the thermal expansion of monolayer graphene as a function of temperature, which is critical for strain engineering applications. We find that thermal expansion of graphene is negative for all temperatures between 300K and 30K. We also study the dispersion, the variation of resonant frequency with DC gate voltage, of the electromechanical m…
We have realized a nano-electromechanical hybrid system consisting of a silicon nitride beam dielectrically coupled to a superconducting microwave resonator. We characterize the sample by making use of the Duffing nonlinearity of the strongly driven beam. In particular, we calibrate the amplitude spectrum of the mechanical motion and determine the electromechanical vacuum coupling. A high quality factor of 480,000 at a resonance frequency of 14 MHz is achieved at 0.5 K. The experimentally determined electromechanical vacuum coupling of 11.5 mHz is quantitatively compared with finite element ba…
We consider position measurements using the cross-correlated output of two tunnel junction position detectors. Using a fully quantum treatment, we calculate the equation of motion for the density matrix of the coupled detector-detector-mechanical oscillator system. After discussing the presence of a bound on the peak-to-background ratio in a position measurement using a single detector, we show how one can use detector cross correlations to overcome this bound. We analyze two different possible experimental realizations of the cross correlation measurement and show that in both cases the maxim…
Nano-electromechanical (NEM) contact switches have been extensively studied to suppress the limitations of conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors. The attributes of NEM contact switches includes reduced power consumption, reduced off-state leakage current, increased on-state current and sub-thermal switching. However, unacceptably high pull-in voltage and low contact lifetime posed a significant challenge for the use of NEM contact switches in energy efficient CMOS applications. Here, we demonstrate a graphene-based electro-statically actuated NEM contact switc…
We investigate electron shuttling in three-terminal nanoelectromechanocal device built on a movable metallic rod oscillating between two drains. The device shows a double-well shaped electromechanical potential tunable by a source-drain bias voltage. Four stationary regimes controllable by the bias are found for this device: (i) single stable fixed point, (ii) two stable fixed points, (iii) two limiting cycles, and (iv) single limiting cycle. In the presence of perpendicular magnetic field the Lorentz force makes possible switching from one electromechanical state to another. The mechanism of …
A suspended, doubly clamped single wall carbon nanotube is characterized at cryogenic temperatures. We observe specific switching effects in dc-current spectroscopy of the embedded quantum dot. These have been identified previously as nano-electromechanical self-excitation of the system, where positive feedback from single electron tunneling drives mechanical motion. A magnetic field suppresses this effect, by providing an additional damping mechanism. This is modeled by eddy current damping, and confirmed by measuring the resonance quality factor of the rf-driven nano-electromechanical resona…
We investigate protocols for optimal molecular detection with electromechanical nanoscale sensors in ambient conditions. Our models are representative of suspended graphene nanoribbons, which due to their piezoelectric and electronic properties, provide responsive and versatile sensors. In particular, we analytically account for the corrections in the electronic transmission function and signal-to-noise ratio originating in environmental perturbations, such as thermal fluctuations and solvation effects. We also investigate the role of the sampling time in the current statistics. As a result, w…
The combination of high frequency vibrations and metallic transport in graphene makes it a unique material for nano-electromechanical devices. In this letter, we show that graphene-based nano-electromechanical devices are extremely well suited for charge pumping, due to the sensitivity of its transport coefficients to perturbations in electrostatic potential and mechanical deformations, with the potential for novel small scale devices with useful applications.
We propose an electromechanical transducer based on a resonant-tunneling configuration that, with respect to the standard tunneling transducers, allows larger tunneling currents while using the same bias voltage. The increased current leads to an increase of the shot noise and an increase of the momentum noise which determine the quantum limit in the system under monitoring. Experiments with micromachined masses at 4.2 K could show dominance of the momentum noise over the Brownian noise, allowing observation of the quantum-mechanical noise at the mesoscopic scale.
Self excitation is a mechanism which is ubiquitous for electromechanical power devices such as electrical generators. This is conventionally achieved by making use of the magnetic field component in electrical generators [1], where a good example are the overall visible wind farm turbines [2]. In other words, a static force, like wind acting on the rotor blades, can generate a resonant excitation at a certain mechanical frequency. For nanomechanical systems [3,4,5] such a self excitation (SE) mechanism is highly desirable as well, since it can generate mechanical oscillations at radio frequenc…
Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), utilising localised mechanical vibrations, were pioneered for sensors, signal processors and to study macroscopic quantum mechanics. Increasingly the concept of integrating multiple mechanical elements via electrical/optical means has emerged as a challenge towards NEMS circuits. Here we develop phononic crystal waveguides (PnC WGs), using a 1-dimensional array of suspended membranes, that offer purely mechanical means to integrate isolated NEMS resonators. In the first steps to this objective, we demonstrate the PnC WG can support and guide mechanical vib…
We present here a simple analytical model for self-oscillations in nano-electro-mechanical systems. We show that a field emission self-oscillator can be described by a lumped electrical circuit and that this approach is generalizable to other electromechanical oscillator devices. The analytical model is supported by dynamical simulations where the electrostatic parameters are obtained by finite element computations.
Active, in situ control of light at the nanoscale remains a challenge in modern physics and in nanophotonics in particular. A promising approach is to take advantage of the technological maturity of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) and to combine it with on-chip optics. However, in scaling down the dimensions of such integrated devices, the coupling of a NEMS to optical fields becomes challenging. Despite recent progress in nano-optomechanical coupling, active control of optical fields at the nanoscale has not been achieved with an on-chip NEMS thus far. Here, we show a new type of hybrid…
We report the observation of self-oscillations in a bottom-up nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) during field emission driven by a constant applied voltage. An electromechanical model is explored that explains the phenomenon and that can be directly used to develop integrated devices. In this first study we have already achieved ~50% DC/AC (direct to alternative current) conversion. Electrical self-oscillations in NEMS open up a new path for the development of high speed, autonomous nanoresonators, and signal generators and show that field emission (FE) is a powerful tool for building new nan…
Exceptional points (EP) are non-Hermitian spectral degeneracies where both eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenvectors coalesce. Recently, EPs have attracted a lot of attention as a means to enhance the responsivity of sensors, via the abrupt resonant detuning occurring in their proximity. In many cases, however, the EP implementation is accompanied by noise enhancement leading to the degradation of the signal-to-noise performance of the sensor . The excess noise can be of fundamental nature (due to the eigenbasis collapse) or of technical nature associated with the use of amplification m…
Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials are ideal for micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) due to their ultimate thinness. Platinum diselenide (PtSe$_{2}$), an exciting and unexplored 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) material, is particularly interesting because its scalable and low temperature growth process is compatible with silicon technology. Here, we explore the potential of thin PtSe$_{2}$ films as electromechanical piezoresistive sensors. All experiments have been conducted with semimetallic PtSe$_{2}$ films grown by thermally assisted conversion of Pt at a CMOS…
