Energy loss mechanism for suspended micro- and nanoresonators due to the Casimir force

TL;DR

This paper investigates a novel energy loss mechanism in suspended micro- and nanoresonators caused by the Casimir force, leading to acoustic energy dissipation into nearby structures, especially significant at nanometric gaps.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical analysis of noncontact acoustic energy loss due to Casimir force coupling in micro- and nanoresonators, deriving analytical expressions for the quality factor.

Findings

Energy loss increases with decreasing gap size.

The mechanism significantly affects resonator performance at nanometric separations.

Analytical formulas enable better design of resonators considering this loss.

Abstract

A so far not considered energy loss mechanism in suspended micro- and nanoresonators due to noncontact acoustical energy loss is investigated theoretically. The mechanism consists on the conversion of the mechanical energy from the vibratory motion of the resonator into acoustic waves on large nearby structures, such as the substrate, due to the coupling between the resonator and those structures resulting from the Casimir force acting over the separation gaps. Analytical expressions for the resulting quality factor Q for cantilever and bridge micro- and nanoresonators in close proximity to an underlying substrate are derived and the relevance of the mechanism is investigated, demonstrating its importance when nanometric gaps are involved.