Table of Contents
PREFACE vii
PHYSICAL CONSTANTS ix
NOTATIONS xi
CHAPTER 1. FROM MEMS TO NEMS 1
1.1. Micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems: an overview 1
1.2. Conclusion 9
CHAPTER 2. TRANSDUCTION ON THE NANOMETRIC SCALE AND THE NOTION OF NOISE 13
2.1. Mechanical transfer function 14
2.2. Transduction principles 20
2.2.1. The actuation of nanostructures 23
2.2.2. Detection 31
2.3. Self-oscillation and noises 49
2.4. Conclusion 58
CHAPTER 3. MONOLITHIC INTEGRATION OF NEMS WITH THEIR READOUT ELECTRONICS 61
3.1. Foreword 61
3.1.1. Why integrate NEMS with their readout electronics? 61
3.1.2. What are the differences between MEMS-CMOS and NEMS-CMOS? 62
3.2. The advantages of and main approaches to monolithic integration 64
3.2.1. A comparison of integration schemes and their electrical performance 64
3.2.2. Closed-loop NEMS-CMOS oscillators: the essential building block for NEMS-based frequency sensors 69
3.2.3. Overview of the main achievements from the perspective of manufacturing technology 70
3.3. Analysis of some significant achievements from the perspective of transduction 75
3.3.1. Examples of capacitive NEMS-CMOS 75
3.3.2. Examples of piezoresistive NEMS-CMOS 82
3.3.3. Alternative approaches 85
3.4. Conclusions and future perspectives 86
CHAPTER 4. NEMS AND SCALING EFFECTS 89
4.1. Introduction 89
4.1.1. Intrinsic losses 96
4.1.2. Extrinsic losses 97
4.2. Near field effect in a nanostructure: Casimir force 102
4.2.1. Intuitive explanation of the Casimir force 102
4.2.2. The problem 105
4.2.3. Rigorous calculation of the Casimir force between two silicon slabs 107
4.2.4. Impact of the Casimir force in a nano-accelerometer 113
4.2.5. Conclusion 117
4.3. Example of “intrinsic” scaling effects: electrical conduction laws 117
4.3.1. Electrical resistivity 117
4.3.2. Piezoresistive effect 125
4.4. Optomechanical nano-oscillators and quantum optomechanics 136
4.5. Conclusion 147
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION PROSPECTS: FROM FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS TO APPLIED PHYSICS 149
APPENDIX 167
BIBLIOGRAPHY 175
INDEX 193