NEM arrays for electronic and photonic components
- Reference number
- RE07-0004
- Start and end dates
- 080701-120630
- Amount granted
- 15 600 000 SEK
- Administrative organization
- Chalmers University of Technology
- Research area
- Information, Communication and Systems Technology
Summary
Our main objective is to explore the technological potential of nanoelectromechanical systems and to reduce the risk associated with this emerging successor to MEMS. We will focus on components such as high-Q resonators with wide tunability ranges, and structures where a coupling between mechanical and electrical functionalities results in new or improved device performance. As a means to improve power throughput and to make device fabrication more reliable, we will pursue components based on arrays of individual elements where inter-element coupling results in synchronization. The arrays serve also as a starting point for nano-optoelectromechanical components such as tunable photonic crystals, optical cavities and optical switches. The materials platform we have chosen is carbon nanotubes and nanofibers whose extraordinary stiffness and lightness make them ideal candidates for NEMS; later on we may include graphene-based structures if their initial assessment proves positive. We will develop CMOS-compatible upscalable fabrication techniques for carbon-based NEMS. Our approach is based on growing the nanostructures from catalyst particles placed on patterned substrates. The fabricated devices will be characterized electrically and optically, and their performance will be compared to the device models developed in the project, which are used to guide device design and optimization. The project integrates seamlessly modeling, design, fabrication and characterization tasks. The overall result of this project will be a critical technological assessment of carbon-based NEMS. This will be pursued in close collaboration with leading Swedish companies such as Ericsson and SAAB Microwave Systems. Milestones on the way to the main goal are components that are directly applicable in information processing, communication and radar technologies.
Popular science description
Nanoelectromechanics, or nanoelelctromechanical systems (NEMS), is a research area and emerging technology that deals with nanometer-size structures that combine mechanical and electrical functionalities. NEMS is the successor of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) that is an important technology with numerous applications in IT and transportation and medical industries. Due to the lower mobile masses, NEMS allows substantially higher operating speeds than MEMS, which opens new applications e.g. in communication technology. The reduction in structure size itself makes possible completely new applications that combine NEMS with optical functions. Practical applications of NEMS often require that many individual elements are connected to large arrays. The array structure not only makes it possible to increase the power handling capacity of NEMS but also simplifies the fabrication and makes it easier to integrate NEMS with conventional electronics. The materials platform we have chosen in nanostructured carbon, primarily carbon nanotubes and nanofibers, whose extraordinary lightness and stiffness make them ideal for NEMS. This project integrates seamlessly the modeling, design, fabrication and characterization of nanoelectromechanical components, and aims at a critical assessment of the technological potential of NEMS and the risks associated with this emerging technology. Concrete outcomes of this project will be carbon-based nanoelectromechanical components for electronics and photonics. On a more general level, the project will result in know-how on how to combine electrical, optical and mechanical degrees of freedom on the nanoscale, and how to integrate carbon-based elements to more conventional silicon-based electronics.