Mechanical Stabilization of Nanoscale Conductors by Plasmon Oscillations

Abstract

External driving of the Fermion reservoirs interacting with a nanoscale charge-conductor is shown to enhance its mechanical stability during resonant tunneling. This counterintuitive cooling effect is predicted despite the net energy flow into the device. Field-induced plasmon oscillations stir the energy distribution of charge carriers near the reservoir’s chemical potentials into a nonequilibrium state with favored transport of low-energy electrons. Consequently, excess heating of mechanical degrees of freedom in the conductor is suppressed. We demonstrate and analyze this effect for a generic model of mechanical instability in nanoelectronic devices, covering a broad range of parameters. Plasmon-induced stabilization is suggested as a feasible strategy to confront a major problem of current-induced heating and breakdown of nanoscale systems operating far from equilibrium.

Temperature- and Defect-Induced Uniaxial Tensile Mechanical Behaviors and the Fracture Mechanism of Two-Dimensional Silicon Germanide

“… 1 , 2 However, the mechanical failure problem of the present NEMS is a great concern. 3 , 4 Nanoscale materials with ultrahigh tensile strength and superior electronic properties are thus highly demanded to realize the next-generation NEMS and nanoelectronics. The unique electronic properties, 5 , 6 enormous surface-to-volume ratio, and excellent mechanical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials make them favorable for NEMS fabrication.…”

“…With the advent of nanotechnology, the demand for nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), including nanoresonators, nanocomposites, nanoenergy-harvesting systems, and conversion systems, has increased considerably to mitigate the shortcoming of microscale systems. , However, the mechanical failure problem of the present NEMS is a great concern. , Nanoscale materials with ultrahigh tensile strength and superior electronic properties are thus highly demanded to realize the next-generation NEMS and nanoelectronics. The unique electronic properties, , enormous surface-to-volume ratio, and excellent mechanical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials make them favorable for NEMS fabrication .…”

Quantum thermodynamics of nonadiabatically driven systems: The effect of electron-phonon interaction

“…And this is despite the fact that the ultimate goal of the field is to control and manipulate microelectronic devices to perform a certain task. The control itself is typically achieved by applying external fields to the system that can be expressed theoretically using time dependent Hamiltonians [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59] .…”

Unraveling current-induced dissociation mechanisms in single-molecule junctions

“…[24][25][26] The understanding of the underlying mechanisms of bond rupture and its implication for the stability in molecular junctions is not only of fundamental interest, but is also crucial for the design of molecular junctions, which are stable at higher voltages. 21,27,28 Molecular junctions that are stable at higher bias voltages are particularly relevant for possible nanoelectronic applications. Furthermore, the understanding of current-induced bond rupture is also crucial for current-induced chemistry and nano-scale chemical catalysis.…”