Pressurized fluid damping of nanoelectromechanical systems.

Interactions of nanoscale structures with fluids are of current interest both in the elucidation of fluid dynamics at these small scales, and in determining the ultimate performance of nanoelectromechanical systems outside of vacuum. We present a comprehensive study of nanomechanical damping in three gases (He, N2, CO2), and liquid CO2. Resonant dynamics in multiple devices of varying size and frequency is measured over 10 decades of pressure (1 mPa-20 MPa) using time-domain stroboscopic optical interferometry. The wide pressure range allows full exploration of the regions of validity of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow damping models. Observing free molecular flow behavior extending above 1 atm, we find a fluid relaxation time model to be valid throughout, but not beyond, the non-Newtonian regime, and a Newtonian flow vibrating spheres model to be valid in the viscous limit.

[1]  W. Newell.  Miniaturization of tuning forks. , 1968, Science.

[2]  J. J. Blech.  On Isothermal Squeeze Films , 1983 .

[3]  Masahiro Hirata,et al.  A bending and stretching mode crystal oscillator as a friction vacuum gauge , 1984 .

[4]  J. Fluitman,et al.  Dependence of the quality factor of micromachined silicon beam resonators on pressure and geometry , 1992 .

[5]  M. K. Andrews,et al.  A comparison of squeeze-film theory with measurements on a microstructure , 1993 .

[6]  H. Hosaka,et al.  DAMPING CHARACTERISTICS OF BEAM-SHAPED MICRO-OSCILLATORS , 1995 .

[7]  J. Sader.  Frequency response of cantilever beams immersed in viscous fluids with applications to the atomic force microscope , 1998 .

[8]  Z. J. Wang,et al.  Effect of fluids on the Q factor and resonance frequency of oscillating micrometer and nanometer scale beams. , 2004, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[9]  Shyamsunder Erramilli,et al.  Dynamical response of nanomechanical oscillators in immiscible viscous fluid for in vitro biomolecular recognition. , 2006, Physical review letters.

[10]  V. Yakhot,et al.  Stokes' second flow problem in a high-frequency limit: application to nanomechanical resonators , 2006, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[11]  M. Roukes,et al.  Ultra-sensitive NEMS-based cantilevers for sensing, scanned probe and very high-frequency applications. , 2007, Nature nanotechnology.

[12]  S. Manalis,et al.  Weighing of biomolecules, single cells and single nanoparticles in fluid , 2007, Nature.

[13]  John E. Sader,et al.  Frequency response of cantilever beams immersed in viscous fluids with applications to the atomic force microscope: Arbitrary mode order , 2007 .

[14]  D M Karabacak,et al.  High-frequency nanofluidics: an experimental study using nanomechanical resonators. , 2007, Physical review letters.

[15]  Mark R. Freeman,et al.  Time-domain control of ultrahigh-frequency nanomechanical systems. , 2008, Nature nanotechnology.

[16]  V. Yakhot,et al.  Universality in oscillating flows. , 2008, Physical review letters.

[17]  Rob Ilic,et al.  Size and frequency dependent gas damping of nanomechanical resonators , 2008 .

[18]  Ning Liu,et al.  A simple cell for the analysis of nanoelectromechanical systems under gas pressure. , 2008, The Review of scientific instruments.

[19]  M. Roukes,et al.  Toward single-molecule nanomechanical mass spectrometry , 2005, Nature nanotechnology.

[20]  Hartono Sumali,et al.  Unified theory of gas damping of flexible microcantilevers at low ambient pressures , 2009 .