A tunable carbon nanotube electromechanical oscillator

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a room-temperature, self-detecting carbon nanotube oscillator with tunable resonance frequency, capable of sensing tiny forces, advancing nanoelectromechanical systems for various applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel electrically actuated and detected nanotube oscillator with widely tunable resonance frequency at room temperature.

Findings

Resonance frequency can be widely tuned.

Devices can transduce very small forces.

Achieved electrical actuation and detection of nanotube oscillations.

Abstract

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 spite of this great promise, a room-temperature, self-detecting nanotube oscillator has not been realized, although some progress has been made. Here we report the electrical actuation and detection of the guitar-string-like oscillation modes of doubly clamped nanotube oscillators. We show that the resonance frequency can be widely tuned and that the devices can be used to transduce very small forces.