Nanoelectromechanical resonant narrow-band amplifiers

Abstract

This study demonstrates amplification of electrical signals using a very simple nanomechanical device. It is shown that vibration amplitude amplification using a combination of mechanical resonance and thermal-piezoresistive energy pumping, which was previously demonstrated to drive self-sustained mechanical oscillation, can turn the relatively weak piezoresistivity of silicon into a viable electronic amplification mechanism with power gains of 420 dB. Various functionalities ranging from frequency selection and timing to sensing and actuation have been successfully demonstrated for microscale and nanoscale electromechanical systems. Although such capabilities complement solid-state electronics, enabling state-of-the-art compact and high-performance electronics, the amplification of electronic signals is an area where micro-/nanomechanics has not experienced much progress. In contrast to semiconductor devices, the performance of the proposed nanoelectromechanical amplifier improves significantly as the dimensions are reduced to the nanoscale presenting a potential pathway toward deep-nanoscale electronics. The nanoelectromechanical amplifier can also address the need for ultranarrow-band filtering along with the amplification of lowpower signals in wireless communications and certain sensing applications, which is another need that is not efficiently addressable using semiconductor technology.

On the Dynamic Range and Resolution of Thermal-Piezoresistive Resonant Mass Sensors

“…1(b). Theoretical derivations on TPR are described in [10], [14]. In summary, the movement of a TPR results from the periodical thermal expansion/contraction of the nanobeam.…”

Limits to Thermal-Piezoresistive Cooling in Silicon Micromechanical Resonators

“…Thermal-piezoresistive Q eff enhancement is finding applications in oscillators for e.g. mass-sensing [20]- [23], tuning resonator nonlinearities [24], pre-amplifying signals in resonant sensors [25], [26], and nanoscale radio-frequency amplifiers [27], [28]. Work is ongoing to increase the operating frequency [29], [30], reduce the power consumption [31], and increase the frequency stability [32] of thermal-piezoresistive oscillators and sensors.…”

Quantum Eigenstates of Curved and Varying Cross-Sectional Waveguides

“…With the vast possibilities to manufacture complex topological structures in quantum technology, it becomes increasingly important to address how physical properties change due to shape, size etc. Nanowire technology provides a rich platform to discover novel physical properties related to curvature effects such as flexible electronics [1], battery [2] and nanoelectromechanical sensors and generators [3][4][5][6][7]. A selection of recent nanoarchitecture work [8] includes the influence of a varying thickness of 2D WS 2 nanolayers [9], the role of topology of the thermopower of six-terminal Andreev interferometers [10], the voltage induced by moving vortices as a function of transport and magnetic fields for rolled-up nanostructured nanotubes [11], topological transitions in superconducting structures [12,13], etc.…”