Digital and FM demodulation of a doubly-clamped single wall carbon nanotube oscillator: towards a nanotube cell phone

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of suspended single wall carbon nanotube resonators for AM, FM, and digital demodulation, showing potential for nanotube-based radio-frequency communication devices.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental realization of demodulation techniques using nanotube resonators, highlighting their applicability in future nano-telecommunication systems.

Findings

FM demodulation reduces background noise

Mechanical resonance is crucial for demodulation

Digital transfer rates comparable to cell phones

Abstract

Electromechanical resonators are a key element in radio-frequency telecommunications devices and thus new resonator concepts from nanotechnology can readily find important industrial opportunities. In this paper, we report the successful experimental realization of AM, FM and digital demodulation with suspended single wall carbon nanotube resonators in the field effect transistor configuration. The crucial role played by the mechanical resonance in demodulation is clearly demonstrated. The FM technique is shown to lead to the suppression of unwanted background signals and the reduction of noise for a better detection of the mechanical motion of nanotubes. The digital data transfer rate of standard cell phone technology is within the reach of our devices.