Bayram F, Gajula D, Khan D, Koley G. Mechanical memory operations in piezotransistive GaN microcantilevers using Au nanoparticle-enhanced photoacoustic excitation.
MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2022;
8:8. [PMID:
35127131 PMCID:
PMC8784537 DOI:
10.1038/s41378-021-00330-6]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nonlinear oscillations in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems have emerged as an exciting research area in recent years due to their promise in realizing low-power, scalable, and reconfigurable mechanical memory and logic devices. Here, we report ultralow-power mechanical memory operations utilizing the nonlinear oscillation regime of GaN microcantilevers with embedded piezotransistive AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors as highly sensitive deflection transducers. Switching between the high and low oscillatory states of the nonlinear oscillation regime was demonstrated using a novel phase-controlled opto-mechanical excitation setup, utilizing a piezo actuator and a pulsed laser as the primary and secondary excitation sources, respectively. Laser-based photoacoustic excitation was amplified through plasmonic absorption in Au nanoparticles deposited on a transistor. Thus, the minimum switching energy required for reliable memory operations was reduced to less than a picojoule (pJ), which translates to one of the lowest ever reported, when normalized for mass.
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