Abstract
Electrostatic actuation in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) often requires generation and control of high-voltage drive signals for sufficient force. Voltages in excess of a few volts require specialized circuit technologies and often cannot be implemented monolithically with other functions, such as precision sense amplifiers. This paper presents a circuit for enabling high-voltage actuation with low-voltage electronics by utilizing passive amplification provided by the <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Q</i> factor of an electrical <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">RLC</i> resonator. The resonator is formed with the capacitive MEMS actuator connected in series to an inductor. Experimental results demonstrating voltage amplification by over an order of magnitude are presented. As a further benefit, the <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">RLC</i> circuit provides continuous position feedback in the form of position-dependent resonance frequency which is detected electronically. Inverse position dependence of the <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Q</i> factor also extends stable range of parallel-plate actuators over that achieved with constant-voltage drive.
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