High quality factor indium oxide mechanical microresonators

Abstract

The mechanical resonance behavior of as-grown In_2O_3 microrods has been studied in this work by in-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) electrically induced mechanical oscillations. Indium oxide microrods grown by a vapor–solid method are naturally clamped to an aluminum oxide ceramic substrate, showing a high quality factor due to reduced energy losses during mechanical vibrations. Quality factors of more than (10)^5 and minimum detectable forces of the order of (10)^(16) N/Hz^(1/2) demonstrate their potential as mechanical microresonators for real applications. Measurements at low- vacuum using the SEM environmental operation mode were performed to study the effect of extrinsic damping on the resonators behavior. The damping coefficient has been determined as a function of pressure.