A tunable carbon nanotube electromechanical oscillator
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.
- Publication:
-
Nature
- Pub Date:
- September 2004
- DOI:
- 10.1038/nature02905
- arXiv:
- arXiv:cond-mat/0409407
- Bibcode:
- 2004Natur.431..284S
- Keywords:
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- Condensed Matter - Mesoscopic Systems and Quantum Hall Effect
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 3 figures