Abstract :
In this paper, the pull-in instability of electrostatically actuated nanotweezers considering the dispersion forces is studied using distributed and lumped parameter models. By analogy to nanoswitches, closed-form solutions are obtained for electrostatic nanotweezers. The distributed and lumped parameter modeling of the tweezer result, respectively, in two coupled nonlinear boundary value problems and two coupled nonlinear equations, which are solved numerically in the cases of electrostatic microtweezers, freestanding nanotweezers, and electrostatic nanotweezers. In each case, analytical and numerical solutions are obtained and compared with those of the corresponding switch. In addition, the results of the distributed and lumped parameter models are compared. The detachment length and minimum initial gap of nanotweezers are determined.
