"Nanosensors hanging by the string" by Bhavesh Kharbanda, ETH Zurich
Entry in category 1. Object of study; Copyright CC-BY-NC-ND: Bhavesh Kharbanda
The image is a real-colour microscopic snapshot of a chip holding nanomechanical suspended string resonators with integrated photonics. The photonics is addressed using a tapered fibre to evanescently couple to the waveguide which in turn couples to a photonic cavity and further to the mechanical resonator. This device configuration feature one of the highest known mechanical Q factor of up to 10^9 at room temperature. This combined with low mass enables very sensitive force sensing.
Each emboss is a different device-strings softly clamped in a square config. Each string is a ~100 um long beam with a height and width under 200 nm.
The image colours originating from reflections by the silicon chip of various instruments and the 3D feel of the fabricated devices has a strong appeal. Employing these sensors for magnetic resonance force microscopy ('nano-MRI') would enable 3D imaging of cells and biomolecules, potentially revolutionising medicine with organelles and DNA in reach.
"Nanosensors hanging by the string" by Bhavesh Kharbanda, ETH Zurich
Entry in category 1. Object of study; Copyright CC-BY-NC-ND: Bhavesh Kharbanda
The image is a real-colour microscopic snapshot of a chip holding nanomechanical suspended string resonators with integrated photonics. The photonics is addressed using a tapered fibre to evanescently couple to the waveguide which in turn couples to a photonic cavity and further to the mechanical resonator. This device configuration feature one of the highest known mechanical Q factor of up to 10^9 at room temperature. This combined with low mass enables very sensitive force sensing.
Each emboss is a different device-strings softly clamped in a square config. Each string is a ~100 um long beam with a height and width under 200 nm.
The image colours originating from reflections by the silicon chip of various instruments and the 3D feel of the fabricated devices has a strong appeal. Employing these sensors for magnetic resonance force microscopy ('nano-MRI') would enable 3D imaging of cells and biomolecules, potentially revolutionising medicine with organelles and DNA in reach.