Dielectric Transduction of NEMS

We report on a four-mask process flow for creating resonant NanoElectroMechanical Systems (NEMS) based on dielectric transduction. Current transduction mechanisms for NEMS include piezoelectricity, flexoelectricity and dielectric force. While piezoelectricity gives the highest electromechanical efficiency in, NEMS using flexoelectricity and dielectric force are interesting alternatives with a larger range of possible active materials and potentially simpler fabrication. In this four-mask process flow, doubly-clamped beams and cantilevers are patterned and released from the substrate. The beams are built of molybdenum (Mo) and halfnium oxide (HfO2).