Electromechanical Resonators from Atomically Thin Graphite

We fabricate nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) from atomically thin graphite by mechanically exfoliating thin sheets over trenches in SiO$_{2}$. Vibrations with fundamental resonant frequencies in the MHz range are actuated either optically or electrically and detected optically by interferometry. We make a detailed study of the mechanical properties of these resonators including resonance frequency, spring constant, built in tension, and quality factor. The thinnest resonator consists of a single suspended layer of atoms and represents the ultimate limit of a two dimensional NEMS.