Electromechanical characteristics of free-standing 20nm HfZrOx NEMS resonator

HfZrO
x
materials have garnered significant interest due to their exceptional ferroelectric polarization reversibility, polarization switching properties, and potent piezoelectric performance. In this study, we introduce the fabrication of 20nm free-standing HZO NEMS resonators and delve into their linear and nonlinear electromechanical characteristics. Utilizing pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for HZO film growth and wet transfer process, we fabricate 50×50 µm four-end clamped HZO NEMS resonators. Laser interferometry is used to capture the vibrational behavior of resonators under vertical external mechanical excitation, revealing the first to third-order out-of-plane vibration modes, with the dynamic range exceeding 53 dB and quality factors ranging from 351 to 1835 across different modes. Notably, we observe a significant splitting of the third mode and energy exchange between two degenerate modes along with background thermal noise of 1.44×10
^–14
m/√Hz. Additionally, our findings reveal the transition from linear resonance to nonlinear vibration in the piezoelectric response, underscoring the impacts of nonlinearity on the resonant frequency and Q-factor under varying external excitation. This investigation provides a foundational insight into the dynamics of HZO resonators, paving the way for future design and advancements in HZO-based NEMS piezoelectric sensors, energy harvesters, and acoustic comb devices.