From MEMS to NEMS with carbon

Our work in carbon-microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) suggests that C-MEMS might provide a very interesting material and microfabrication approach to battery miniaturization, active DNA arrays and a wide variety of chemical and biological sensors. In C-MEMS, photoresist is patterned by photolithography and subsequently pyrolyzed at high-temperatures in an oxygen-free environment. We established that it is possible to use C-MEMS to create very high-aspect ratio carbon structures (e.g. posts with an aspect ratio >10), suspended carbon plates and suspended carbon nanowires (C-NEMS). By changing the lithography conditions, soft and hard baking times and temperatures, additives to the resist, pyrolysis time, temperature and environment, C-MEMS permits a wide variety of interesting new MEMS and NEMS applications that employ structures having a wide variety of shapes, resistivities and mechanical properties. We also demonstrate that arrays of high-aspect ratio carbon posts can be charged/discharged with Li and this enables the fabrication of a smart switchable array of batteries.