Stochastic switching of cantilever motion

Warner J. Venstra (), Hidde J. R. Westra and Herre S. J. van der Zant
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Warner J. Venstra: Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology
Hidde J. R. Westra: Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology
Herre S. J. van der Zant: Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract The cantilever is a prototype of a highly compliant mechanical system and has an instrumental role in nanotechnology, enabling surface microscopy, and ultrasensitive force and mass measurements. Here we report fluctuation-induced transitions between two stable states of a strongly driven microcantilever. Geometric nonlinearity gives rise to an amplitude-dependent resonance frequency and bifurcation occurs beyond a critical point. The cantilever response to a weak parametric modulation is amplified by white noise, resulting in an optimum signal-to-noise ratio at finite noise intensity. This stochastic switching suggests new detection schemes for cantilever-based instrumentation, where the detection of weak signals is mediated by the fluctuating environment. For ultrafloppy, cantilevers with nanometer-scale dimensions operating at room temperature—a new transduction paradigm emerges that is based on probability distributions and mimics nature.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3624

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