In-plane nanoelectromechanical resonators based on silicon nanowire piezoresistive detection

Abstract

We report an actuation/detection scheme with a top-down nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) for frequency shift based sensing applications with outstanding performance. It relies on electrostatic actuation and piezoresistive nanowire gauges for in-plane motion transduction. The process fabrication is fully CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) compatible. The results show a very large dynamic range of more than 100 dB and an unprecedented signal to background ratio of 69 dB providing an improvement of two orders of magnitude in the detection efficiency presented in the state of the art in NEMS fields. Such a dynamic range results from both negligible 1/ f noise and very low Johnson noise compared to the thermomechanical noise. This simple low power detection scheme paves the way for new class of robust mass resonant sensors.

Silicon nanowire based Pirani sensor for vacuum measurements

“…Moreover, extrapolation of Eq. (2) shows that the nano-Pirani may also work for pressure above the atmospheric pressure although no results in this range are presented here and the hysteresis has not been studied either.…”

Nonlinear Dynamics of Parametrically Excited Carbon Nanotubes for Mass Sensing Applications

“…It consists of a single nanobeam with an annular cross section initially straight and clamped at its two ends. It is actuated by two symmetric electrodes providing an electrostatic force v(t) = V dc +V ac cos(Ωt), where V dc is the dc polarization voltage, V ac is the amplitude of the applied ac voltage,t is the time andΩ is the excitation frequency.The two electrodes are positioned at a distance d 1 from the fixed end in order to place a piezoelectric or piezoresistive transduction [11] and at a distance d 2 from the free extremity.…”

Nonlinear dynamics of nanoelectromechanical cantilevers based on nanowire piezoresistive detection

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