Nonlinear structural mechanics of micro-and nanosystems

Abstract

Recently, the use of micro-and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) has seen a dramatic increase observed especially with the increasing interest of wide spectrum of technologies such as mass/gas sensors, filters, switches, and resonators. Adding to that, their simple fabrication process makes them easy to be fabricated at a low cost and hence commercialized easily. The basic structures that are used numerously to build MEMS and NEMS devices are principally made of cantilever or clamped-clamped beams. For example, they are employed in mass sensors for bio and gas sensing, as switching elements in RF microswitches and optical fibers, and probe elements in atomic force microscope (AFM). Also, they form a basic element in nanoscale devices such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs).