Novel “Vibrating Wire Like” NEMS and MEMS Structures for Low Temperature Physics

Using microfabrication techniques, it has become possible to make mechanical devices with dimensions in the micro and even in the nano scale domain. Allied to low temperature techniques, these systems have opened a new path in physics with the ultimate goal of reaching the quantum nature of a macroscopic mechanical degree of freedom (LaHaye et al. in Science 304:74, 2004 ). Within this field, materials research plays a significant role. It ranges from the fundamental nature of the dissipation mechanisms at the lowest temperatures, to the non-linear behavior of mechanical oscillators. We present experimental results on cantilever structures mimicking the well known “vibrating wire” technique, which present many advantages as far as the mechanical studies are concerned: the measurement is phase-resolved, they can be magnetomotive and electrostatically driven, and support extremely large displacements. Moreover, these devices can be advantageously used to study quantum fluids, making the link with conventional low temperature physics.