Abstract:
The recent discovery of 2-dimensional materials, such as graphene, opens the route to construct mechanical devices with the thickness of a single atom. In this talk, I will discuss how to fabricate such devices and how to detect their motion in frequency, time and spatial domains. Atomically thin mechanical devices are characterized by strong nonlinearity, and their extremely low stiffness makes them highly susceptible to (thermomechanical) noise. Compared to MEMS, the resonant motion shows a very low-quality factor which limits potential applications. On the other hand, these NEMS devices form a useful platform for experimental studies on nonlinear dynamics in the presence of noise. I will briefly discuss examples of such experiments, such as nonlinear-resonant sensing and oscillator synchronization. 

Bio:
Dr.Venstra has an industrial and academic background. After working at Philips Electronics and obtaining a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the TU Delft, he moved to the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in Delft and started to work on nanomechanical systems and devices. The initial focus was on motion detection in air and water for sensor applications, later moving to nonlinear effects and fluctuations. In ultrathin materials, such as graphene and MoS2, these effects are pronounced and this enables exciting new experiments and applications. In 2016 dr. Venstra started the sensor company Quantified Air B.V., developing NEMS sensors and integrated sensor systems. As a side activity, the company offers a print service for bio- and nanomaterials.    

Selected Publications:
1. S. Houri, S.J. Cartamil-Bueno, M. Poot , P.G. Steeneken , H.S.J. van der Zant , W.J. Venstra. Direct and parametric synchronization of a graphene self-oscillator. Appl. Phys. Lett. 110 (2017) 073103.
2. D. Davidovikj, J.J.  Slim, S.J. Cartamil-Bueno, H.S. J. van der Zant, P.G. Steeneken and W.J. Venstra. Visualizing the motion of graphene nanodrums. Nano Lett. 16 (2016) 4, 2768.
3. W.J. Venstra, M.J. Capener, S.R. Elliott. Nanomechanical gas sensing with nonlinear resonant cantilevers. Nanotechnol. 25 (2014)  425501.
4. W.J. Venstra, H.J.R. Westra, H.S.J. van der Zant. Stochastic switching of cantilever motion. Nature Commun. 4 (2013) 2624.
5.  A. Castellanos-Gomez, R. van Leeuwen, M.