Web Release Date: October 17,
Directed Growth of Horizontally Aligned Gallium Nitride Nanowires for Nanoelectromechanical Resonator Arrays
Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
Departments of Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
Received June 27, 2007
Revised September 8, 2007
Abstract:
We report the growth of horizontally aligned arrays and networks of GaN nanowires (NWs) as resonant components in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). A combination of top-down selective area growth (SAG) and bottom-up vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) synthesis enables flexible fabrication of highly ordered nanowire arrays in situ with no postgrowth dispersion. Mechanical resonance of free-standing nanowires are measured, with quality factors (Q) ranging from 400 to 1000. We obtained a Young's modulus (E) of ~338 GPa from an array of NWs with varying diameters and lengths. The measurement allows detection of nanowire motion with a rotating frame and reveals dual fundamental resonant modes in two orthogonal planes. A universal ratio between the resonant frequencies of these two fundamental modes, irrespective of their dimensions, is observed and attributed to an isosceles cross section of GaN NWs.
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