Stressed carbon nanotube devices for high tunability, high quality factor, single mode GHz resonators

The emerging applications of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) in ground-state cooling, quantum manipulation, communication devices, etc., call for a nanoresonator with high frequency, quality factor, and tunability, as well as easy integration. Here we show that such a nanoresonator can be achieved by using a unique assembly technique that transfers the stressed inner shell of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to a self-aligned device geometry. The as-fabricated nanoresonator shows excellent comprehensive performance, i.e., high frequency (2–3 GHz), high tunability (80–110 MHz/V), high quality factor (3 × 104), and single mode operation. The defect-free nature of the inner shell of the CNT gives rise to a high quality factor, and the preloaded tension improves the resonant frequency and tunability. This resonator with excellent performance also enables the integration of homogeneous devices and will play a key role in the emerging applications of NEMS.