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DOE OSTI · 2588395

Nanometer-thick ultraflat cantilever resonators

Zhou, Jian [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000160321007)·Moldovan, Nicolaie [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM); Alcorix Company, Plainfield, IL (United States) ] (ORCID:0000000157154957)·Stan, Liliana [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)] (ORCID:0000000346267256)·Sun, Wei [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0009000984596297)·López, Daniel [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)]·Czaplewski, David A. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)] (ORCID:0000000322620908)
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Abstract

Nanomechanical devices made from ultrathin materials are transforming diverse fields, including sensing, signal processing, and quantum technologies. However, as these materials become thinner, their low bending rigidity poses significant fabrication challenges, and achieving nanometer-thick flat cantilevers with consistent and predictable mechanical responses has remained elusive despite decades of research. Here we present nanometer-thick, ultraflat cantilever resonators fabricated using atomic layer deposition. By effectively mitigating the effects of uncontrollable built-in strain and geometric disorder, the ultraflat nanocantilevers exhibit resonance frequencies closely aligned with thin-plate theory predictions and display low sample-to-sample variability. These cantilevers maintain mechanical stability in both vacuum and air environments, even at large length-to-thickness ratios of up to 3000. The ultraflat nanocantilevers are approaching the thickness limit, beyond which thermal fluctuations at room temperature can spontaneously induce random ripples in otherwise flat films.

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nanofabricationnanomechanical resonatornanometer-thick filmthin-plate theory

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Zhou, Jian [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000160321007), Moldovan, Nicolaie [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM); Alcorix Company, Plainfield, IL (United States) ] (ORCID:0000000157154957), Stan, Liliana [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)] (ORCID:0000000346267256), Sun, Wei [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0009000984596297), López, Daniel [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)], Czaplewski, David A. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)] (ORCID:0000000322620908). 2025-06-24. Nanometer-thick ultraflat cantilever resonators. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6439%2Fade44a

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