Parametric amplification in single-walled carbon nanotube nanoelectromechanical resonators

Abstract

The low quality factor (Q) of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) resonators has limited their sensitivity in sensing application. To this end, we employ the technique of parametric amplification by modulating the spring constant of SWNT resonators at twice the resonant frequency and achieve 10 times Q enhancement. The highest Q obtained at room temperature is around ∼700, which is 3-4 times better than previous Q record reported for doubly clamped SWNT resonators. Furthermore, efficient parametric amplification is found to only occur in the catenary vibration regime. Our results open up the possibility to employ light-weight and high-Q carbon nanotube resonators in single molecule and atomic mass sensing. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.