Electromechanical Instability in Suspended Carbon Nanotubes (original) (raw)

2005, Nano Letters

https://doi.org/10.1021/NL050531R

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Abstract

We have theoretically investigated electromechanical properties of freely suspended carbon nanotubes when a current is injected into the tubes using a scanning tunneling microscope. We show that a shuttle-like electromechanical instability can occur if the bias voltage exceeds a dissipation-dependent threshold value. An instability results in large amplitude vibrations of the carbon nanotube bending mode, which modify the current-voltage characteristics of the system.

Magnetic effects on nonlinear mechanical properties of a suspended carbon nanotube

We propose a microscopic model for a nanoelectromechanical system made by a radio-frequency driven suspended carbon nanotube (CNT) in the presence of an external magnetic field perpendicular to the current. As a main result, we show that, when the device is driven far from equilibrium, one can tune the CNT mechanical properties by varying the external magnetic field. Indeed, the magnetic field affects the CNT bending mode dynamics inducing an enhanced damping as well as a noise term due to the electronic phase fluctuations. The quality factor, as observed experimentally, exhibits a quadratic dependence on external magnetic field strength. Finally, CNT resonance frequencies as a function of gate voltage acquire, increasing the magnetic field strength, a peculiar dip-peak structure that should be experimentally observed. arXiv:1212.0267v3 [cond-mat.mes-hall]

Conductance Oscillations in Squashed Carbon Nanotubes

Physical Review Letters, 2006

We report measurements on the radial electromechanical properties of single walled carbon nanotubes. By measuring the conductance of the nanotube, we show that a gap is opened while squashing the nanotubes and that during the deformation stages we observe at least two open-close cycles of the gap. We employ a novel experimental setup where an atomic force microscope tip is used both as an electrode and to induce radial deformations. In contrast with prior experiments reported, this technique allows direct probing of the local electronic structure of carbon nanotubes as they are radially deformed.

Integration of suspended carbon nanotube arrays into electronic devices and electromechanical systems

Applied Physics Letters, 2002

A synthetic strategy is devised for reliable integration of long suspended single-walled carbon nanotubes into electrically addressable devices. The method involves patterned growth of nanotubes to bridge predefined molybdenum electrodes, and is versatile in yielding various microstructures comprised of suspended nanotubes that are electrically wired up. The approach affords single-walled nanotube devices without any postgrowth processing, and will find applications in scalable nanotube transistors ͑mobility up to 10 000 cm 2 /V s͒ and nanoelectromechanical systems based on nanowires.

Clamping effects on mechanical stability and energy dissipation in nanoresonators based on carbon nanotubes

Journal of Applied Physics

With continuous downscaling of resonators, clamping is expected to significantly impact the mechanical stability as well as the energy dissipation mechanisms, especially at the nanoscale. To understand the clamping effects at the nanoscale, we here report on an experimental investigation of a same nanotube based resonator subjected to two different clamping configurations. We investigate clamping associated stability and damping mechanisms by pushing the resonator into the nonlinear regime. The nanotube was first dry-transferred and suspended between source-drain palladium electrodes resulting in a bottom clamped configuration. A selective top-metallization process by platinum atomic layer deposition applied later resulted in a top-bottom clamped configuration. Large nanotube motional amplitude leading to a nonlinear Duffing response initiated small slippage of the nanotube. This instability in clamping was seen in both clamping configurations and was measured as an irreversible resonance frequency downshift. For the measured resonator devices, a gate induced nanotube tension in the range of 58-71 pN was estimated to overcome clamping forces and initiate slipping. In terms of energy dissipation, the topmetallization process was accompanied by a reduction in amplitude dependent nonlinear damping and Q-factor enhancement. Subjecting the same nanotube to both clamping configurations allowed for a direct comparison of clamping and quantification of nonlinear damping. In the present case, nonlinear damping was observed at an estimated nanotube motional amplitude of 11 nm (and higher), being dominant in bottom clamped configuration, suggesting the origin of this nonlinear damping to partially stem from external mechanisms in addition to other possible internal dissipation paths reported such as viscoelastic effects.

Magnetic damping of a carbon nanotube nano-electromechanical resonator

New Journal of Physics, 2012

A suspended, doubly clamped single-wall carbon nanotube is characterized at cryogenic temperatures. We observe specific switching effects in dc-current spectroscopy of the embedded quantum dot. These have been identified previously as nano-electromechanical self-excitation of the system, where positive feedback from single-electron tunneling drives mechanical motion. A magnetic field suppresses this effect, by providing an additional damping mechanism. This is modeled by eddy current damping, and confirmed by measuring the resonance quality factor of the radio-frequency-driven nano-electromechanical resonator in an increasing magnetic field. Nano-electromechanical resonator systems offer an intriguing field of research, where both technical applications and fundamental insights into the limits of mechanical motion are possible. Among these systems, carbon nanotubes offer the ultimate electromechanical beam resonator [1-3], because of their stiffness, low mass and high aspect ratio. At the same time, they are an outstanding material for transport spectroscopy of quantum dots at cryogenic temperatures [4, 5]. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has been shown to produce on chip defect-free single-wall carbon nanotubes [6]. By performing this growth process as the last chip fabrication step, suspended defect-and contamination-free macromolecules can be integrated into electrode structures and characterized. On the electronic side, this has led to many valuable insights into, e.g., the physics of spatially confined few-carrier systems [7-9].

Robust Carbon‐Nanotube‐Based Nano‐electromechanical Devices: Understanding and Eliminating Prevalent Failure Modes Using Alternative Electrode Materials

small, 2011

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS ) identifi es emerging technologies with the potential to sustain Moore's Law. A necessary succession from planar CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductors) to nonplanar/dual-gate CMOS, and ultimately to novel architectures such as carbon nanotube (CNT)-based nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) is envisioned. The ITRS also identifi es critical roadblocks currently precluding advances beyond CMOS. Primary among the roadblocks to NEMS are poor reliability and manufacturing challenges. Here we investigate the prevalent failure modes of CNT-based NEMS that hamper reliability through a combined experimental-computational approach. We fi rst identify their point of onset within the design space through in situ electromechanical characterization, highlighting the extremely limited region in which failure is avoided. We use dynamic multiphysics models to elucidate the underlying causes of failure, then return to the experimental characterization to show that the usable design space expands dramatically when employing novel electrode materials such as diamondlike carbon. Finally, we demonstrate the effi cacy of this solution through 100 successive actuation cycles without failure and applications to volatile memory operations.

Clamping Instability and van der Waals Forces in Carbon Nanotube Mechanical Resonators

Nano Letters, 2014

We investigate the role of weak clamping forces, typically assumed to be infinite, in carbon nanotube mechanical resonators. Due to these forces, we observe a hysteretic clamping and unclamping of the nanotube device that results in a discrete drop in the mechanical resonance frequency on the order of 5−20 MHz, when the temperature is cycled between 340 and 375 K. This instability in the resonant frequency results from the nanotube unpinning from the electrode/trench sidewall where it is bound weakly by van der Waals forces. Interestingly, this unpinning does not affect the Q-factor of the resonance, since the clamping is still governed by van der Waals forces above and below the unpinning. For a 1 μm device, the drop observed in resonance frequency corresponds to a change in nanotube length of approximately 50−65 nm. On the basis of these findings, we introduce a new model, which includes a finite tension around zero gate voltage due to van der Waals forces and shows better agreement with the experimental data than the perfect clamping model. From the gate dependence of the mechanical resonance frequency, we extract the van der Waals clamping force to be 1.8 pN. The mechanical resonance frequency exhibits a striking temperature dependence below 200 K attributed to a temperature-dependent slack arising from the competition between the van der Waals force and the thermal fluctuations in the suspended nanotube.

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Magnetomotive instability and generation of mechanical vibrations in suspended semiconducting carbon nanotubes

New Journal of Physics, 2010

We have theoretically investigated the electromechanical properties of a freely suspended carbon nanotube that is connected to a constant-current source and subjected to an external magnetic field. We show that self-excitation of mechanical vibrations of the nanotube can occur if the magnetic field H exceeds a dissipation-dependent critical value Hc, which we find to be of the order of 10-100 mT for realistic parameters. The instability develops into a stationary regime characterized by time periodic oscillations in the fundamental bending mode amplitude. We find that for nanotubes with large quality factors and a magnetic-field strength just above Hc the frequency of the stationary vibrations is very close to the eigenfrequency of the fundamental mode. We also demonstrate that the magnetic field dependence of the time averaged voltage drop across the nanotube has a singularity at H = Hc. We discuss the possibility of using this phenomenon for the detection of nanotube vibrations.

Signatures of the Current Blockade Instability in Suspended Carbon Nanotubes

2015

Transport measurements allow sensitive detection of nanomechanical motion of suspended carbon nanotubes. It has been predicted that when the electro-mechanical coupling is sufficiently large a bistability with a current blockade appears. Unambiguous observation of this transition by current measurements may be difficult. Instead, we investigate the mechanical response of the system, namely the displacement spectral function; the linear response to a driving; and the ring-down behavior. We find that by increasing the electro-mechanical coupling the peak in the spectral function broadens and shifts at low frequencies while the oscillator dephasing time shortens. These effects are maximum at the transition where non-linearities dominate the dynamics. These strong signatures open the way to detect the blockade transition in devices currently studied by several groups.

Electromechanical resonance behavior of suspended single-walled carbon nanotubes under high bias voltages

Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 2011

We characterize the nanoelectromechanical response of suspended individual carbon nanotubes under high voltage biases. An abrupt upshift in the mechanical resonance frequency of approximately 3 MHz is observed at high bias. While several possible mechanisms are discussed, this upshift is attributed to the onset of optical phonon emission, which results in a sudden contraction of the nanotube due to its negative thermal expansion coefficient. This, in turn, causes an increase in the tension in the suspended nanotube, which upshifts its mechanical resonance frequency. This upshift is consistent with Raman spectral measurements, which show a sudden downshift of the optical phonon modes at high bias voltages. Using a simple model for oscillations on a string, we estimate the effective change in the length of the nanotube to be L/L ≈ −2 × 10 −5 at a bias voltage of 1 V.

Mechanical and electromechanical coupling in carbon nanotube distortions

Physical Review B, 2003

A simple approach is presented for using bond-stretching and bond-bending modes to describe the static deformations of carbon nanotubes and related actuation effects. This approach allows us to analyze various phenomena in a unified way and to clarify their relationships. We discuss gap energy modulation by external strains, dimensional and torsional deformations caused by charge injection, and stretch-induced torsion. We show how symmetry determines the property dependence on the chiral angle of nanotubes. Electrically driven actuator responses related to deformation-induced modulation of electron kinetic energy are particularly interesting and relevant for applications. The strong oscillatory dependence of these responses on the nanotube geometry is explained within an intuitively clear picture of bonding patterns. We show how anisotropic ͑shear͒ deformations play an important role in nanotubes, making their responses distinctly different from graphite's.

Scaling Law in Carbon Nanotube Electromechanical Devices

Physical Review Letters, 2005

We report a method for probing electromechanical properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes(CNTs). This method is based on AFM measurements on a doubly clamped suspended CNT electrostatically deflected by a gate electrode. We measure the maximum deflection as a function of the applied gate voltage. Data from different CNTs scale into an universal curve within the experimental accuracy, in agreement with a continuum model prediction. This method and the general validity of the scaling law constitute a very useful tool for designing actuators and in general conducting nanowire-based NEMS.

Carbon nanotubes: nanomechanics, manipulation, and electronic devices

Applied Surface Science, 1999

Carbon nanotubes are novel materials with unique electrical and mechanical properties. Here we present results on their atomic structure and mechanical properties in the adsorbed state, on ways to manipulate individual nanotubes, on their electrical properties and, finally, on the fabrication and characteristics of nanotube-based electron devices. Specifically, Ž . atomic force microscopy AFM and molecular mechanics simulations are used to investigate the effects of van der Waals interactions on the atomic structure of adsorbed nanotubes. Both radial and axial structural deformations are identified and the interaction energy itself is obtained from the observed deformations. The conditions under which the structure of a nanotube will adjust to the topography of the substrate are defined. We show that the strong substrate-nanotube interaction allows the manipulation of both the position and shape of individual nanotubes at inert surfaces using the AFM. AFM manipulation is then utilized to position individual nanotubes on electrical pads so that their electrical characteristics can be evaluated. We demonstrate the operation of a field-effect transistor based on a single semiconducting nanotube and of a single-electron transistor using a nanotube bundle as Coulomb island. Finally, conducting nanotubes are employed as tips for AFM lithography. q

A Study of Electromechanical Properties and Applications of Carbon Nanotubes

2017

Carbon nanotubes are one of the most important nanomaterials today. It exhibits an exceptional combination of physical, electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties, which results in their great potential of industrial application in various fields. Carbon nanotubes can be categorized as single-walled carbon nanotubes and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The structure of a single-walled carbon nanotube can be viewed as one-atom-thick layer of graphite rolled cylinder. Well understanding the property of single-walled carbon nanotubes is fundamental in both exploratory research and the potential applications for Carbon nanotubes based products. These molecules also have a unique structure that encapsulates a one-dimensional volume of space. Electromechanical properties of Carbon nanotubes like piezoresistance and chirality of carbon atom make them roughly five times stronger than steel and five times more resistive than silicon. These properties substantiate the applicational array of...

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