Dynamic Interactions between Oscillating Cantilevers: Nanomechanical Modulation using Surface Forces

Dynamic interactions between two oscillating micromechanical cantilevers are studied. In the experiment, the tip of a high-frequency cantilever is positioned near the surface of a second low-frequency cantilever. Due to the highly nonlinear interaction forces between the two surfaces, thermal oscillations of the low-frequency cantilever modulate the driven oscillations of the high-frequency cantilever. The dissipations and the frequencies of the two cantilevers are shown to be coupled, and a simple model for the interactions is presented. The interactions studied here may be useful for the design of future micro and nanoelectromechanical systems for mechanical signal processing; they may also help realize coupled mechanical modes for experiments in non-linear dynamics.