Electron shuttle instability for nano electromechanical mass sensing

We discuss the potential use of the electromechanical shuttle instability in suspended nanostructures (e.g., nanotubes or nanowires) for nanomechanical sensing. The tunneling-assisted (shuttle-like) electron transport mechanism is addressed from a mechanical and electromechanical point of view, showing strong dependencies on the fundamental frequency, the mechanical restoring and damping force, and the electromechanical charging of the suspended nanostructure. We propose to use these nonlinear dependencies to sense minute mass (and tension) changes. Therefore, we introduce a conceptual sensing device and investigate its operation in the frame of a simple model system. Finally, we discuss different measurement techniques and report on high sensitivities (e.g., 1 nA/zeptogram (zg), or 1 mV/zg depending on the measurement technique) and potential resolutions in the range of 10 zg (10(-23) kg).