Electrical actuation of single-crystal diamond MEMS resonators at high temperatures

Abstract

Achieving efficient low-voltage actuation of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) resonators in high-temperature environments poses a difficult topic due to the thermal interference and the risk of high-temperature failure. In this work, the single-crystal diamond (SCD) resonators fabricated through the ion implantation-assisted lift-off (IAL) technique exhibit a SCD-on-SCD cantilever structure. We propose an electrical actuation system based on the electrostatic effect specifically designed for SCD MEMS resonators with a low radio-frequency amplitude of ∼ 100 mV. The SCD resonators demonstrate stable and efficient actuation across a wide temperature range, from room temperature to 500 °C. Importantly, the actuation voltage exhibits little impact on the resonance frequency and the Q factor of the resonator. The SCD resonator showcases exceptional thermal stability in resonance frequency, with a low temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) below −12 ppm/°C up to 500 °C. The developed actuation scheme holds tremendous potential as a robust platform for realizing SCD MEMS devices, particularly in applications requiring high integration at high temperatures.