Abstract
SiC is an extremely promising material for nanoelectromechanical systems given its large Young's modulus and robust surface properties. We have patterned nanometer scale electromechanical resonators from single-crystal 3C-SiC layers grown epitaxially upon Si substrates. A surface nanomachining process is described that involves electron beam lithography followed by dry anisotropic and selective electron cyclotron resonance plasma etching steps. Measurements on a representative family of the resulting devices demonstrate that, for a given geometry, nanometer-scale SiC resonators are capable of yielding substantially higher frequencies than GaAs and Si resonators. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.