MICRO-ELECTROMECHANICAL RF RESONATORS FABRICATED FROM SiC/Si HETEROSTRUCTURES
K. BRUECKNER, R. STEPHAN, M. HEIN, Ch. FOERSTER, V. CIMALLA, O. AMBACHER

Introduction
Due to the combination of mechanical structures with electrically active elements for actuation and sensing, the technology of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) bears a huge potential for applications in many different fields. Recent activities have aimed at scaling MEMS into the submicron range, leading to the new category of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) [1]. The research on NEMS is focussed mainly on nano-scale resonators, to extend the corresponding resonant frequencies into the GHz range. This opens additional potential, e.g., for low-power high-frequency devices for mobile communications, or bio-sensors for the detection of single molecules by sensitised NEMS surfaces [2]–[4]. Resonators in the submicron range have been fabricated, using Si and SiC, [5]. The focus on SiC reflects its chemical stability, but more importantly its significantly higher ratio of the Young’s modulus, E, to mass density, ρ, yielding higher resonant frequencies.