Micro- and Nano-electromechanical Systems

Micro- and Nano- electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS), are small, movable structures created using integrated circuit technology. Processes that fabricate microelectronic chips, such as lithography, etching and deposition, are used to create movable components in the um or nm scale on a semiconductor wafer. The small size, quick response time, high sensitivity and low cost of MEMS have made them a compelling choice for a variety of applications. For instance, micromechanical sensors are nowadays widely used in automobiles for detecting acceleration and micromirror arrays plays an important role in display devices such as projectors. Apart from the obvious commercial value of MEMS, their high sensitivity and functionality offer unique capabilities for carrying out fundamental physics experiments. Our research group uses micro- and nano-mechanical devices as sensitive force detectors, e.g. in Casimir force measurements and in magnetometry. We also investigate the interplay of fluctuations and nonlinearity in periodically driven oscillators. Another project aims to tailor the coupling of the optical and mechanical degrees of freedom through the strongly spatial dependent evanescent field in subwavelength metallic structures.

                Quantum mechanical Casimir forces in micromechanical systems

                Nonlinear mode coupling and fluctuation induced transitions in electromechanical resonators

                Evanescent field coupling in subwavelength metallic structures

                Micromechanical magnetometers