A nanoelectromechanical systems actuator driven and controlled by Q-factor attenuation of ring resonator

• Main Authors: Dong, Bin, Ng, Geok Ing, Liu, Ai Qun, Cai, H., Kropelnicki, P., Tsai, J. M., Randles, A. B., Tang, M., Gu, Y. D., Suo, Z. G.
• Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Physics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/101292; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/18378
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this Letter, an optical gradient force driven Nanoelectromechanical Systems (NEMS) actuator, which is controlled by the Q-factor attenuation of micro-ring resonator, is demonstrated. The actuator consists of a tunable actuation ring resonator, a sensing ring resonator, and a mechanical actuation arc. The actuation displacement can reach up to 14 nm with a measured resolution of 0.8 nm, when the Q-factor of the ring resonator is tuned from 15 × 103 to 6 × 103. The potential applications of the NEMS actuator include single molecule manipulation, nano-manipulation, and high sensitivity sensors.