Feedback controlled nanocantilever device

A switchable carbon-nanotube-based nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) with close-loop feedback is examined. The device consists of a cantilever carbon nanotube clamped to a top electrode and actuated by a bottom electrode. The actuation circuit includes a source and a feedback resistor. The pull-in/pull-out and tunneling characteristics of the system are investigated by means of an electromechanical analysis. The model includes the concentration of electrical charge, at the end of the nanocantilever, and the van der Waals force. The analysis shows that the device has two well-defined stable equilibrium positions as a result of tunneling and the incorporation of a feedback resistor to the circuit. Potential applications of the device include NEMS switches, random-access memory elements, logic devices, electron counters, and gap sensing devices. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.