Nanoelectromechanical Position-Sensitive Detector with Picometer Resolution

Abstract

Subnanometer displacement detection lays the solid foundation for critical applications in modern metrology. In-plane displacement sensing, however, is mainly dominated by the detection of differential photocurrent signals from photodiodes, with resolution in the nanometer range. Here, we present an integrated nanoelectromechanical in-plane displacement sensor based on a nanoelectromechanical trampoline resonator. With a position resolution of 4 pm/ for a low laser power of 85 μW and a repeatability of 2 nm after five cycles of operation as well as good long-term stability, this new detection principle provides a reliable alternative for overcoming the current position detection limit in a wide variety of research and application fields.

Modeling the Electrostatic Actuation of Nanomechanical Pillar Dimers

“…When the vertical nanowires are situated at the slope maximum of the Gaussian light beam, the displacement of the light-scattering nanowires cause a modulation of the reflected light. A similar method has been used to detect the lateral motion of nanoparticles situated inside a Gaussian beam (Chien et al, 2020). A different approach relevant for this paper is to produce pillar dimers (Sadeghi et al, 2017), which allow for a plasmonic optical readout as presented with nanomechancial string resonators (Thijssen et al, 2015).…”

Micromechanical Bolometers for Subterahertz Detection at Room Temperature

“…Both sides of the trampoline could be easily accessed with complete etching of the Si substrate by extending the duration of the KOH etching. Alternatively, an electronic readout based on a magnetomotive force 40 actuator/sensor could be introduced. These improvements, together with the simple and well-established fabrication procedures, would pave the way for large-scale fabrication of arrays of detectors, making the investigated platform extremely appealing for THz and sub-THz spatially resolved detection and cameras.…”

Analysis of carbon content in direct-write plasmonic Au structures by nanomechanical scanning absorption microscopy

“…The near-Gaussian frequency shift profile from the nanodiscs in Figure 2b results from the convolution of Gaussian laser beam and the absorption of the nanodisc, represented by a point absorber, as discussed in the previous studies. 35,36 To investigate the effect of the carbon content on the optical absorption of the FEBID nanostructures systematically, the peak frequency shifts of nanodiscs with different sizes were extracted with a onedimensional Gaussian fit, as plotted in Figure 2c. The root-mean-square fitting error indicated by the error bar.…”