Nanomechanical Resonators Research Articles

Tunable multi-outlet single photon quantum router in an optomechanical system

An experimentally accessible tunable single-photon multi-channel quantum router is investigated in a system consisting of an optomechanics cavity coulomb coupling to a nano-mechanical resonator. The router can extract a single-photon from the coherent input signal directly modulate into three different output channels, and the output probability is all close to 1. More important, the two output signal frequencies can be selected by adjusting Coulomb coupling strength. We also demonstrate the vacuum and thermal noise will be insignificant for the optical performance of the single-photon router at temperature of the order of 20 mK. Our proposal may have paved a new avenue towards multi-channel router and quantum network.

Thermal gradients integrated on-chip by passive radiative cooling of silicon nitride nanomechanical resonators

Radiative coupling of objects with outer space, through the atmospheric spectral transparency window, allows passive cooling below ambient temperature. Such passively created cold sinks can be used for converting ambient heat into other useful forms of energy. Using this approach, conversion of ambient heat to electricity has been demonstrated in macroscopic settings, where the radiatively cooled heat sink is a macroscopic object coupled with ambient heat through a heterogeneously attached, standalone, thermoelectric generator. In contrast, miniaturization and on-chip integration of such heat engines has not been demonstrated, although it could be useful in portable remote technological applications. Such integration would first require that both the radiatively cooled heat sink and the hot (ambient temperature) side of the engine are monolithically integrated on a single chip. This first step is the focus of our work: we demonstrate the creation of a local thermal gradient on-chip by radiative cooling of a 90 nm thick freestanding silicon nitride nanomechanical resonator integrated on a silicon substrate that remains at ambient temperature. The reduction in temperature of the thin film is inferred by tracking its mechanical resonance frequency, under high vacuum, using an optical fiber interferometer. Experiments were conducted on 15 different days during fall and summer months, under various solar illumination, resulting in successful radiative cooling of the membrane in each case. Maximum temperature drops of 9.3 K and 7.1 K are demonstrated during the day and night, respectively, in close correspondence with our heat transfer model. Future improvements to the experimental setup could improve the temperature reduction to 48 K for the same membrane, while emissivity engineering potentially yields a maximum theoretical cooling of 67 K with an ideal emitter.

Extreme mechanical tunability in suspended MoS2 resonator controlled by Joule heating

Nanomechanical resonators are built into phones, as filters or accelerometers, but they lack a knob to effectively tune the frequency at the nanoscale when it’s easy to tune on an octave the tone of a classical musical instrument like a guitar string. Moreover, the control of deformation in nanomaterials, as two-dimensional (2D) materials, to tailor their electronic properties, i.e., straintronic, opens up avenues for applications in force detection, bolometry or quantum emitters. An accurate control of the deformation within these materials is thus necessary to fully exploit their potential. The precise study of deformations in 2D materials involves measurements of vibration modes and nanomechanics. By using a suspended MoS2 membrane heated by the Joule effect, we induce a strong softening of the mechanical resonance frequency as a function of the electrothermal heating, over one octave. A simple electrical tension is used to modulate the thermal mechanical tuning. Its amplitude is very large, greater than 100% modulation for one volt, compared to other approaches on 2D or 1D materials and, moreover, a very wide frequency range is accessible. Finally, we have related a photo-induced softening of the membrane over very long times with the current measurements and a photothermal effect.

A microwave scattering spectral method to detect the nanomechanical vibrations embedded in a superconducting qubit

Nanomechanical resonators (NMRs), as the quantum mechanical sensing probers, have played the important roles for various high-precision quantum measurements. Differing from the previous emission spectral probes (i.e., the NMR modified the atomic emission), in this paper we propose an alternative approach, i.e., by probing the scattering spectra of the quantum mechanical prober coupled to the driving microwaves, to characterize the physical features of the NMR embedded in a rf-SQUID based superconducting qubit. It is shown that, from the observed specifical frequency points in the spectra, i.e., either the dips or the peaks, the vibrational features (i.e., they are classical vibration or quantum mechanical one) and the physical parameters (typically such as the vibrational frequency and displacements) of the NMR can be determined effectively. The proposal is feasible with the current technique and should be useful to design the desired NMRs for various quantum metrological applications.

Identifying, Resolving, and Quantifying Anisotropy in ReS2 Nanomechanical Resonators.

As an emerging two-dimensional semiconductor, rhenium disulfide (ReS2 ) is renowned for its strong in-plane anisotropy in electrical, optical, and thermal properties. In contrast to the electrical, optical, optoelectrical, and thermal anisotropies that are extensively studied in ReS2 , experimental characterization of mechanical properties has largely remained elusive. Here, it is demonstrated that the dynamic response in ReS2 nanomechanical resonators can be leveraged to unambiguously resolve such disputes. Using anisotropic modal analysis, the parameter space for ReS2 resonators in which mechanical anisotropy is best manifested in resonant responses is determined. By measuring their dynamic response in both spectral and spatial domains using resonant nanomechanical spectromicroscopy, it is clearly shown that ReS2 crystal is mechanically anisotropic. Through fitting numerical models to experimental results, it is quantitatively determined that the in-plane Young's moduli are 127 and 201GPa along the two orthogonal mechanical axes. In combination with polarized reflectance measurements, it is shown that the mechanical soft axis aligns with the Re-Re chain in the ReS2 crystal. These results demonstrate that dynamic responses in nanomechanical devices can offer important insights into intrinsic properties in 2D crystals and provide design guidelines for future nanodevices with anisotropic resonant responses.

High quality factor silicon nitride nanomechanical resonators fabricated by maskless femtosecond laser micromachining

Freestanding silicon nitride (SiN) devices are central to the field of nanomechanical resonators and other technology applications such as transmission electron imaging and nanopore bioassays. Nanofabrication techniques used for fabricating these devices often lack flexibility. While photolithography requires printing of an expensive photomask for each new design iteration, electron beam lithography is slow and commands high equipment cost. Here, we demonstrate maskless rapid prototyping of freestanding SiN nanomechanical resonators fabricated by femtosecond laser ablation of a plain SiN membrane in ambient air. We fabricate microbeams with different widths from 7 to 100 μm, and we characterize their resonance frequency and mechanical quality (Q) factors. We find that membrane cracking can be avoided during fabrication by carefully engineering the etch pattern, and that laser etching has a negligible effect on built-in tensile stress. For each beam, Q-factors are measured for several eigenmodes and are found to remain high after laser etching. All beams show quality factors greater than 105, while unetched plain membranes have Q > 106. Possible causes for Q-factor reduction are identified, along with future process improvement directions.

Hybrid Quantum Systems with Strong Magnetic Coupling of a Magnetic Vortex to a Nanomechanical Resonator

We present a hybrid quantum system composed of a magnetic vortex and a nanomechanical resonator. We show that the gyrotropic mode of the vortex can coherently couple to the quantized mechanical motion of the resonator through magnetic interaction. Benefiting from the topologically protected properties and the low damping of vortices, as well as the excellent coherent features of nanomechanical resonators, the proposed system can achieve strong coupling and even the ultrastrong-coupling regime by choosing appropriate parameters. In combination with other quantum systems, such as a nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) center, coherent state transfer between the vortex excitation and the spin can be realized. This setup provides a potential platform for quantum information processing and investigations into the ultrastrong-coupling regime and macroscopic quantum physics.

Simultaneous cooling coupled nano-mechanical resonators in cavity optomechanics

Coupled mechanical resonators have recently attracted great attention for both practical applications and fundamental studies. As a preparation step, it is needed to cool the coupled mechanical resonators to their ground states. Here we propose a theoretical scheme to cool two coupled mechanical resonators by introducing an optomechanical interface. The final mean phonon numbers of the two mechanical resonators are calculated exactly and the results show that the ground-state cooling is achievable in the resolved-sideband regime and under the optimal driving. Moreover, we derived analytical expressions of the cooling limits by adiabatically eliminating the cavity field under the large-decay limit.

The fast–slow light transitions induced by Fano resonance in multiple nanomechanical resonators

We propose a loop-coupled hybrid nanomechanical resonator (NR) system, in which a two-level quantum dot is embedded into a doubly clamped NR coupled to another two NRs, and each two NRs can interact with each other by the Coulomb interaction. We investigate the absorption spectrum of the quantum dot driven by two-tone fields, which presents multiple Fano resonances in the condition of the NRs with three identical frequencies. With controlling the interaction of the NRs, the absorption spectra can present double Fano resonance or triple Fano resonance, and multiple Fano resonances are accompanied by the rapid normal phase dispersion, which leads to the slow light effect. We demonstrate each Fano resonance peaks in the absorption spectra can result in the optical propagation, and the numerical results manifest that the transition from fast to slow light can be reached by manipulating the interaction of the NRs. The hybrid NRs system can be reached to the network-coupled NRs network system by weaving different NRs and controlling the coupling of NRs, which indicates a promising integration platform to reach potential application in quantum information processing.

Achieving 1.2 fm/Hz1/2 Displacement Sensitivity with Laser Interferometry in Two-Dimensional Nanomechanical Resonators: Pathways towards Quantum-Noise-Limited Measurement at Room Temperature

Laser interferometry is an important technique for ultrasensitive detection of motion and displacement. We push the limit of laser interferometry through noise optimization and device engineering. The contribution of noises other than shot noise is reduced from 92.6% to 62.4%, demonstrating the possibility towards shot-noise-limited measurement. Using noise thermometry, we quantify the laser heating effect and determine the range of laser power values for room-temperature measurements. With detailed analysis and optimization of signal transduction, we achieve 1.2 fm/Hz1/2 displacement measurement sensitivity at room temperature in two-dimensional (2D) CaNb2O6 nanomechanical resonators, the best value reported to date among all resonators based on 2D materials. Our work demonstrates a possible pathway towards quantum-noise-limited measurement at room temperature.

Nanoscale electric field sensing using a levitated nano-resonator with net charge

The nanomechanical resonator based on a levitated particle exhibits unique advantages in the development of ultrasensitive electric field detectors. We demonstrate a three-dimensional, high-sensitivity electric field measurement technology using the optically levitated nanoparticle with known net charge. By scanning the relative position between nanoparticle and parallel electrodes, the three-dimensional electric field distribution with microscale resolution is obtained. The measured noise equivalent electric intensity with charges of 100 e reaches the order of 1 μV ⋅ cm − 1 ⋅ Hz − 1 / 2 at 1.4 × 10 − 7 mbar . Linearity analysis near resonance frequency shows a measured linear range over 91 dB limited only by the maximum output voltage of the driving equipment. This work may provide an avenue for developing a high-sensitivity electric field sensor based on an optically levitated nano-resonator.

Dynamic analysis of boron nitride nanotube using different boundary conditions under influence of vacancy defect: Insights from finite element method

In this paper, the effect of defects such as atomic vacancies (single atom vacancies like boron atom(Vb) or nitrogen atom vacancy(Vn) and di-atomic vacancies(VB-N) corresponds to vacancy of one boron and adjacent one nitrogen atom) on the vibrational behaviour of a single-walled boron nitride nanotube (SWBNNT) are investigated using finite element modelling in context of their applicability as mass sensors. The change in resonance frequency produced by vacancy defects at various points throughout the span when a mass is connected to the tip has also been examined. Space frames with three-dimensional components and point masses have been used to explain the cantilevered armchair (5, 5) and zigzag (10, 0) SW-BNNT with changing vacancy defects. The position of atomic vacancy has been varied (i.e., at 25 %, 50 % and 90 % of length from fixed end) to investigate the effect of location of defect along the length on the resonance behaviour of SW-BNNT. Further defective BNNTs have been analysed in such a way that the same can be used as nanomechanical resonator for detecting small mass of the order of femtogram level. For this,a small mass (varying from 10-20 to 10−25kg) is attached at the tip of cantilevered SW-BNNT. Substantial drop in frequency shift is observed when the position of defect moves toward the free end. the excitation frequency of defective BNNT is larger near the free end as compared to pristine one.

Real-Time Monitoring of Temperature-Dependent Structural Transitions in DNA Nanomechanical Resonators: Unveiling the DNA–Ligand Interactions for Biomedical Applications

Despite being widely recognized as of paramount importance in molecular biology, real-time monitoring of structural transitions in DNA complexes is currently limited to complex techniques and chemically modified oligonucleotides. Here, we show that nanomechanical resonators made of different DNA complexes, such as pristine dsDNA, ssDNA, and DNA intercalated with dye molecules or chemotherapeutic agents, are characterized by unique fingerprint curves when their flexural resonance frequency is tracked as a function of temperature. Such frequency shifts can be successfully used to monitor structural variations in DNA complexes, such as B-to-A form and helix-to-coil transitions, thus opening implications in both environmental studies─for example, trucking the effects of heavy metal exposure on human or vegetable DNA molecules─and in vitro experiments for the evaluation of the effects of drugs on patient DNA.

P T symmetry in a superconducting hybrid quantum system with longitudinal coupling.

We propose a scheme consisting of coupled nanomechanical cantilever resonators and superconducting flux qubits to engineer a parity-time- (P T-) symmetric phononic system formed by active and passive modes. The effective gain (loss) of the phonon mode is achieved by the longitudinal coupling of the resonator and the fast dissipative superconducting qubit with a blue-sideband driving (red-sideband driving). A P T-symmetric to broken-P T-symmetric phase transition can be observed in both balanced gain-to-loss and unbalanced gain-to-loss cases. Applying a resonant weak probe field to the dissipative resonator, we find that (i) for balanced gain and loss, the acoustic signal absorption to amplification can be tuned by changing the coupling strength between resonators; (ii) for unbalanced gain and loss, both acoustically induced transparency and anomalous dispersion can be observed around Δ = 0, where the maximum group delay is also located at this point. Our work provides an experimentally feasible scheme to design P T-symmetric phononic systems and a powerful platform for controllable acoustic signal transmission in a hybrid quantum system.

Tuning the Q-factor of nanomechanical string resonators by torsion support design

In recent years, the Q-factor of Si3N4 nanomechanical resonators has significantly been increased by soft-clamping techniques using large and complex support structures. To date, however, obtaining similar performance with smaller supports has remained a challenge. Here, we make use of torsion beam supports to tune the Q-factor of Si3N4 string resonators. By design optimization of the supports, we obtain a 50% Q-factor enhancement compared to the standard clamped–clamped string resonators. By performing experimental and numerical studies, we show that further improvement of the Q-factor is limited by a trade-off between maximizing stress and minimizing torsional support stiffness. Thus, our study also provides insight into dissipation limits of high-stress string resonators and outlines how advanced designs can be realized for reaching ultimate f0×Q product while maintaining a small footprint.

Thermomechanical Energy Converters for Harvesting Thermal Energy: A Review

Thermal energy, i.e., the electromagnetic energy in the infrared range that originates from the direct solar radiation, outgoing terrestrial radiation, waste heat from combustion of fuels, heat-emitting electrical devices, decay of radioactive isotopes, organic putrefaction and fermentation, human body heat, and so on, constitutes a huge energy flux circulating on the earth surface. However, most energy converters designed for the conversion of electromagnetic energy into electricity, such as photovoltaic cells, are mainly focused on using a narrow part of the solar energy lying in the visible spectrum, while thermomechanical engines that are fueled by heat in the broad energy range and then convert it into mechanical work or store it as mechanical deformation, are paid less attention. Although the efficiency of thermomechanical devices is relatively low, they can be applied to collect waste heat which otherwise contributes to negative climate changes. In this review, operational principles of thermomechanical energy converters and a description of basic devices and materials that utilize thermal energy are given. In addition to conventional macroscopic engines, based on thermoacoustic, thermomagnetic, thermoelastic, hydride heat converters, and shape memory alloys, the emergent devices are described which are classified as smart actuators, breathing frameworks, thermoacoustic micro-transducers, nanomechanical resonators, plasmomechanical systems, and optothermal walkers. The performance of the different types of thermomechanical energy converters is described and compared.

Resonance characteristics and energy losses of an ultra-high frequency ZnO nanowire resonator

An ultra-high frequency (UHF, 300 MHz∼3 GHz) nano mechanical resonator based on defect-free zinc oxide nanowire (ZnO NW) was fabricated through a top-down processing method. Using UHF detection technology based on a lock-in amplifier, through optimized measurement of high-performance equipment, it was detected at room temperature that the ZnO NW resonator could operate at a resonance frequency of nearly 650 MHz and a quality factor Q ≈ 1000∼2500, and its force sensitivity could reach 1 f N·Hz−1/2. The deformation, driving force and first-order resonance frequency of the resonator were calculated using the continuum model and compared with the experimental data. The resonance characteristics of ZnO NW resonators under piezoelectric excitation were analyzed and compared with that under electromagnetic excitation. The effects of various loss factors on the resonance characteristics were analyzed, with emphasis on the generation mechanism of piezoelectric loss, clamping loss and eddy current loss and their effects on quality factor and force sensitivity. The ZnO NWs used in this paper have piezoelectric effect, which is rare in other NWs, and are difficult to be fabricated in a bottom-up manner. And experiments show that for ZnO NWs resonators, piezoelectric excitation has obvious advantages in Q value compared with electromagnetic excitation. Unlike the bottom-up wet etch processing method, the resonant beam structure is well protected by the top-down processing method to reduce internal defects, and the top-down fabrication method is easier to integrate into the fabrication process of integrated circuits, which provides great potential for the applications of NW resonators, such as quantum electromechanical systems and high-frequency signal processing.

Dissipative coupling-induced phonon lasing

Phonon lasers, as the counterpart of photonic lasers, have been intensively studied in a large variety of systems; however, (all) most of them are based on the directly coherent pumping. Intuitively, dissipation is unfavorable for lasing. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a mechanism of generating phonon lasing from the dissipative coupling in a multimode optomechanical system. By precisely engineering the dissipations of two membranes and tuning the intensity modulation of the cavity light, the two-membrane-in-the-middle system exhibits non-Hermitian characteristics and the cavity-mediated interaction between two nanomechanical resonators becomes purely dissipative. The level attraction and damping repulsion are clearly exhibited as the signature of dissipative coupling. After the exceptional point, a non-Hermitian phase transition, where eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenmodes coalesce, two phonon modes are simultaneously excited into the self-sustained oscillation regime by increasing the interaction strength over a critical value (threshold). In distinct contrast to conventional phonon lasers, the measurement of the second-order phonon correlation reveals the oscillatory and biexponential phases in the nonlasing regime as well as the coherence phase in the lasing regime. Our study provides a method to study phonon lasers in a non-Hermitian open system and could be applied to a wide range of disciplines, including optics, acoustics, and quantum many-body physics.

Gate-tunable bolometer based on strongly coupled graphene mechanical resonators.

Bolometers based on graphene have demonstrated outstanding performance with high sensitivity and short response time. In situ adjustment of bolometers is very important in various applications, but it is still difficult to implement in many systems. Here we propose a gate-tunable bolometer based on two strongly coupled graphene nanomechanical resonators. Both resonators are exposed to the same light field, and we can measure the properties of one bolometer by directly tracking the resonance frequency shifts, and indirectly measure the other bolometer through mechanical coupling. We find that the sensitivity and the response bandwidth of both bolometers can be independently adjusted by tuning the corresponding gate voltages. Moreover, the properties of the indirectly measured bolometer show a dependence on the coupling between the two resonators, with other parameters being fixed. Our method has the potential to optimize the design of large-scale bolometer arrays, and open new horizons in infrared/terahertz astronomy and communication systems.

Diamond Nanomechanical Resonators Protected by a Phononic Band Gap.

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of diamond cantilevers attached to a phononic square lattice. We show that the robust protection of mechanical modes by phononic band gaps leads to a three-orders-of-magnitude increase in mechanical Q-factors, with the Q-factors exceeding 106 at frequencies as high as 100 MHz. Temperature-dependent studies indicate that the Q-factors obtained at a few Kelvin are still limited by the materials loss. The high-Q diamond nanomechanical resonators provide a promising hybrid quantum system for spin-mechanics studies.