Stepwise and hysteretic transport behavior of an electromechanical charge shuttle

Charge transport by way of objects that jiggle is a curious phenomenon. Her e we present experiments on an electromechanical charge shuttle that reveal interesting electronic transport properties and rich dynamics. The current -voltage characteristics display distinctive jumps and hysteresis which ref lect the influence of the vibrational environment on shuttle dynamics. Thes e results provide fundamental guidance toward the understanding of transpor t phenomena in future electromechanical nanosystems and engineered microdev ices.