High Frequency MoS₂ Nanomechanical Resonators

TLDR

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is a layered semiconducting transition‑metal dichalcogenide with unique properties that make it a promising material for two‑dimensional nanodevices. The study outlines a roadmap for scaling MoS₂ 2D resonators and transducers toward microwave‑frequency operation. MoS₂ diaphragms as thin as 6 nm exhibit room‑temperature nanomechanical resonances up to ~60 MHz with f₀×Q ≈ 2×10¹⁰ Hz, and systematic experiments across thicknesses and sizes, supported by theory, reveal elastic transition regimes and suggest new strain‑engineered 2D vibratory devices.

Abstract

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a layered semiconducting material in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), as thin as a monolayer (consisting of a hexagonal plane of Mo atoms covalently bonded and sandwiched between two planes of S atoms, in a trigonal prismatic structure), has demonstrated unique properties and strong promises for emerging two-dimensional (2D) nanodevices. Here we report on the demonstration of movable and vibrating MoS2 nanodevices, where MoS2 diaphragms as thin as 6 nm (a stack of 9 monolayers) exhibit fundamental-mode nanomechanical resonances up to f0 ∼ 60 MHz in the very high frequency (VHF) band, and frequency-quality (Q) factor products up to f0 × Q ∼ 2 × 1010Hz, all at room temperature. The experimental results from many devices with a wide range of thicknesses and lateral sizes, in combination with theoretical analysis, quantitatively elucidate the elastic transition regimes in these ultrathin MoS2 nanomechanical resonators. We further delineate a roadmap for scaling MoS2 2D resonators and transducers toward microwave frequencies. This study also opens up possibilities for new classes of vibratory devices to exploit strain- and dynamics-engineered ultrathin semiconducting 2D crystals.