K. Ekinci, "Towards Nanoelectromechanical Single-Molecule Sensing"

Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
FENS SEMINARS

Towards Nanoelectromechanical Single-Molecule Sensing

Kamil L. Ekinci

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Boston University

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have been at the center of recent applied and fundamental research.  Most NEMS are resonant devices — much like simple tuning forks — with submicron dimensions.  In this size regime, NEMS come with extremely high fundamental resonance frequencies, diminished active masses and tolerable force constants; the quality (Q) factors of resonance are in the range, Q~103 - 105.  These attributes collectively make NEMS suitable for a multitude of technological applications — such as ultrasensitive force and mass sensing, narrow band filtering, and time keeping.  From a fundamental physics point of view, NEMS are expected to enable the observation of quantum behavior in mesoscopic mechanical systems. 
In this lecture, I will focus on an exciting emerging application, nanoelectromechanical mass detection.  In the first part of my talk, I will present from our experimental and theoretical work on elucidating the limits of NEMS mass sensitivity approaching a single Dalton (1 Dalton=1.6x10-24 g).  In the second part, I will outline the primary challenges in front of realizing a practical NEMS sensor and I will present our progress in these areas.  In particular, I will discuss room-temperature nanoscale motion transduction, noise reduction techniques such as parametric noise squeezing, and NEMS operation in viscous environments.

Kamil L. Ekinci has been an assistant professor in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department at Boston University since January of 2002.   He obtained his Ph.D. in physics from Brown University in 1999.  There, he designed and built one of the first low temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STM) with sample manipulation capabilities.  After obtaining his Ph.D., Ekinci joined the Condensed Matter Physics group at the California Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral scholar.  During the three years he spent at Caltech, Ekinci carried out research in the area of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). At Boston University, Ekinci’s research group is currently focusing on nanomechanical sensors, integration of NEMS and photonic devices, and UHV Scanning Probe Microscopy.  Ekinci also is active in nanotechnology education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and has been involved in several nanotechnology outreach efforts. More information can be found at www.bu.edu/nems/

March 8, 2006, 13:40, 2019