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

Abstract

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 top-metallization 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.