Electrostatic actuation of electrically floating carbon nanotube cantilever

Abstract

Multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) is one of promising components for nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS). For the practical application, simple and reliable fabrication of the MWNT should be required. Recently, we have reported the cantilevered MWNT-NEMS on planar substrate actuated by electrostatic attraction, where the MWNT cantilever was attached by the nano-manipulation technique in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), so that the yield of the device was quite low. Here, we propose nano-electro-mechanical system of electrically floating cantilevered carbon nanotube with electrostatic actuation, which can be fabricated by simple process using a photolithography. The actuation properties have been theoretically analyzed based on a simple mass-spring model with electrical actuation. Even in the electrically floating cantilever structure, the fabricated device through simple process was successfully actuated by the electrostatic attraction and was well explained by the simple model.