| Vera Sazonova*, Yuval Yaish*, Hande Üstünel, David Roundy, Tomás A. Arias & Paul L. McEuen
The paper presents the development and characterization of a tunable carbon nanotube electromechanical oscillator. The device, which consists of a carbon nanotube suspended between two metal electrodes, is actuated and detected using electrostatic forces. The resonance frequency of the nanotube can be tuned by applying a DC voltage to the gate electrode, and the devices can transduce very small forces. The authors demonstrate that the nanotube's vibrational modes can be excited and detected through changes in its conductance, which are measured using a lock-in amplifier. The measured resonant frequencies and quality factors are in good agreement with theoretical predictions, and the force sensitivity of the device is estimated to be around 1 fN Hz⁻¹/² at room temperature. The study also explores the nonlinear effects and pressure dependence of the resonator properties, showing that the quality factor decreases with increasing pressure. Overall, the results highlight the potential of carbon nanotube oscillators for scientific and technological applications, particularly in ultrasensitive mass detection and radio-frequency signal processing.The paper presents the development and characterization of a tunable carbon nanotube electromechanical oscillator. The device, which consists of a carbon nanotube suspended between two metal electrodes, is actuated and detected using electrostatic forces. The resonance frequency of the nanotube can be tuned by applying a DC voltage to the gate electrode, and the devices can transduce very small forces. The authors demonstrate that the nanotube's vibrational modes can be excited and detected through changes in its conductance, which are measured using a lock-in amplifier. The measured resonant frequencies and quality factors are in good agreement with theoretical predictions, and the force sensitivity of the device is estimated to be around 1 fN Hz⁻¹/² at room temperature. The study also explores the nonlinear effects and pressure dependence of the resonator properties, showing that the quality factor decreases with increasing pressure. Overall, the results highlight the potential of carbon nanotube oscillators for scientific and technological applications, particularly in ultrasensitive mass detection and radio-frequency signal processing.