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Characterizing Dissipative Elastic Metamaterials Produced by Additive Manufacturing
Published on: June 28, 2024
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Elastic strain engineering for ultralow mechanical dissipation.
A H Ghadimi1, S A Fedorov1, N J Engelsen1
1Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 14, 2018
Summary
Engineers achieved ultra-low mechanical dissipation in nanoscale devices by combining nanoscale stress with soft-clamping phononic engineering. This breakthrough enables highly coherent nanomechanical systems with record-high quality factors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Mechanical Engineering
Background:
- Nanoscale structures can exhibit extreme stress, leading to enhanced material properties like high electron mobility in silicon transistors.
- Mechanical dissipation in nanomechanical systems is a key factor limiting their performance and coherence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of nanoscale stress combined with soft-clamping for reducing mechanical dissipation.
- To engineer ultracoherent nanomechanical devices with exceptionally high quality factors.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a free-standing silicon nitride nanobeam with a nonuniform phononic crystal pattern.
- Colocalization of strain and flexural motion within the nanobeam.
- Ringdown measurements at room temperature to characterize vibrational modes and quality factors.
Main Results:
- Demonstration of string-like vibrational modes in the nanobeam.
- Achieved quality (Q) factors as high as 800 million.
- Observed Q × frequency products exceeding 10^15 hertz, indicating ultralow dissipation.
Conclusions:
- Soft-clamping, a form of phononic engineering, effectively reduces mechanical dissipation when combined with nanoscale stress.
- The engineered nanobeam exhibits properties suitable for ultracoherent nanomechanical devices.
- This approach offers a promising pathway for developing advanced nanomechanical systems.
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