Abstract
Micro and Nano Electro Mechanical systems (M/NEMS) have a lot of potential to be used for sensing in different schemes and operation modes. We focus here on the use of coupled resonators for sensing and address the major limitation that these systems face, which stems from a compromise between dynamic range and responsivity. When the system becomes unbalanced, the responsivity drops. To solve this issue, we propose the use of piezoelectric-based stress tuning of the stiffness of the resonators in order to rebalance the system of resonators. With this approach we expect to be able to extend the dynamic range of such systems by some orders of magnitude.
Highlights
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are nowadays an integral part of our society, and they are present in most consumer electronic devices, within mobile phones, wearables and Internet of Things (IoT)
This technique is very interesting because it offers an intrinsic common mode rejection and the changes can be very significant, provided the coupling is small. This shows the main limitation of this technique: on the one hand the coupling needs to be small to provide a large change in the eigenmodes; while on the other hand it needs to be large enough that it ensures a distributed mode in the original state. This is in turn important for two reasons mainly: Fabrication uncertainties or tolerances, which will result in non-perfectly identical devices; and dynamic range, since from the moment that events start to happen to a particular resonator in the system, symmetry will be broken
We present the concept of using piezoelectricallyinduced tension in order to tune the resonant frequency of the individual resonators (Karabalin et al, 2012) and rebalance the original system
Summary
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are nowadays an integral part of our society, and they are present in most consumer electronic devices, within mobile phones, wearables and Internet of Things (IoT). This shows the main limitation of this technique: on the one hand the coupling needs to be small to provide a large change in the eigenmodes; while on the other hand it needs to be large enough that it ensures a distributed mode in the original state This is in turn important for two reasons mainly: Fabrication uncertainties or tolerances, which will result in non-perfectly identical devices; and dynamic range, since from the moment that events start to happen to a particular resonator in the system, symmetry will be broken. With this particular parameter values, when a 10% of relative mass difference, the frequencies change between 2 and 3%. For a 10 pg of added mass in one resonator, the system recovers balance when a voltage of 2 V is applied on the other resonator
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
