Overview
Our lab has significantly advanced the understanding of radiation-material interactions in MEMS and NEMS. The lab has examined how gamma rays, protons, heavy ions, and ion-induced displacement damage affects the structural integrity and resonant performance of advanced materials and devices. Ion induced displacement damage and heavy ion irradiation have the potential to influence MEMS resonators’ frequency stability, quality factor, and defect formation. Specifically, the lab demonstrated how gamma rays influences resonators of several materials: molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), gallium nitride (GaN), aluminum nitride (AlN), and silicon carbide (SiC) nano mechanical resonators are among the list of materials tested.
Featured Publications:
The Study of Radiation Effects in Emerging Micro and Nanoelectromechanical Systems (MEMS and NEMS)
Our lab collaborated on this comprehensive review paper surveying radiation effects across a wide variety of emerging MEMS and NEMS devices and materials. We contributed to covering how different radiation types (gamma, proton, heavy ion, neutron) affect device properties such as resonant frequency, quality factor, and structural integrity across materials including SiC, GaN, graphene, MoS₂, and piezoelectric. Together with our collaborators, we identified key open research questions and positioned M/NEMS radiation hardness as a critical concern for deployment in space, nuclear, and defence environments.
In-Situ Measurement of 1.8MeV Proton Radiation Effects on Comb-Drive MEMS Resonators
Our lab performed real-time, in situ measurements of 1.8-MeV proton irradiation effects on silicon comb-drive MEMS resonators, capturing how resonant frequency and other parameters evolve during live irradiation rather than only before and after. This in situ approach allowed us to distinguish transient effects from permanent displacement damage, providing a more complete picture of how proton radiation degrades resonator performance. Our results have direct implications for understanding MEMS reliability in proton-rich space radiation environments and for developing testing methodologies for radiation qualification.
References:
- Arutt CN, Alles ML*, Liao W, Gong H, Davidson JL, Schrimpf RD, Reed RA, Weller RA, Bolotin K, Nicholl R, Pham TT, Zettl A, Du Q, Hu JJ, Li M, Alphenaar BW, Lin J-T, Shurva PD, McNamara S, Walsh KM, Feng PXL, Hutin L, Ernst T, Homeijer BD, Polcawich RG, Proie RM, Jones JL, Glaser ER, Cress CD, Bassiri-Gharb N, “The Study of Radiation Effects in Emerging Micro and Nanoelectromechanical Systems (MEMS and NEMS)”, Semiconductor Science & Technology 32, 013005 (2017). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/32/1/013005
- Lee J, McCurdy MW, Reed RA, Schrimpf RD, Alles ML, Feng PXL*, “In-Situ Measurement of 1.8MeV Proton Radiation Effects on Comb-Drive MEMS Resonators”, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 70(4), 462-468 (2023). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2022.3233525
- Chen H, Jia H, Liao W, Pashaei V, Arutt CN, McCurdy MW, Zorman CA, Reed RA, Schrimpf RD, Alles ML, Feng PXL*, “Probing Heavy Ion Radiation Effects in SiC via 3D Integrated Multimode Vibrating Diaphragms”, Applied Physics Letters 114, 101901 (2019). [“Editor’s Pick” Article]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5063782
- Lee JS, Krupcale MJ, Feng PXL*, “Effect of g-Ray Radiation on 2D MoS2 Nanomechanical Resonators”, Applied Physics Letters 108, 023106 (2016). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4939685
- Sui W, Zheng XQ, Lin J-T, Lee J, Davidson JL, Reed RA, Schrimpf RD, Alphenaar BW, Alles ML, Feng PXL*, “Effects of Ion-Induced Displacement Damage on GaN/AlN MEMS Resonators”, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 69, 521-529 (2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2022.3143550.
- Jia H, McCandless JP, Chen H, Liao W, Zhang EX, McCurdy M, Reed RA, Schrimpf RD, Alles ML, Feng PXL*, “Proton Radiation Effects on Optically Transduced Silicon Carbide Microdisk Resonators”, Optical Materials Express 13(6), 1797-1807 (2023). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OME.481425
- Yang R, Wang ZH, Lee JS, Ladhane K, Young DJ, Feng PXL*, “6H-SiC Microdisk Torsional Resonators in a ‘Smart-Cut’ Technology”, Applied Physics Letters 104, 091906 (2014). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4867866