Pub Date : 2024-03-25DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3377279
Rusong He;Lyuyan Wang;Zhenci Sun;Jiahao Zhao
This paper reports a novel bi-stable structure for a radio frequency micro-electro-mechanical system (RF MEMS) switch. The structure is activated by an in-plane electrostatic actuator and adopts the Inertial Generated Timing Sequence (IGTS) method to latch, allowing the switch to turn on and off with a simple pulse signal. This design eliminates the need for a complex external control circuit and enables the switch to maintain the ON state at zero power consumption. Furthermore, the electrode shape is designed to reduce the driving voltage, thereby lowering the power consumption of the boost circuit. To test and verify the functionality of the bi-stable mechanism, a coplanar waveguide (CPW), which is separated from the actuation structure to reduce interference between the DC drive signal and the RF transmitted signal, is employed. Fabricated using a silicon-on-glass process with two lithographic masks, the RF MEMS switch achieves bi-stability with a single pulse signal of 18V for latching and 14V for unlatching. The measured insertion loss and isolation at 6 GHz are −0.28 dB and −36.68 dB, respectively. This switch exhibits low pull-in voltage, low power consumption, and simple control, holding potential for future RF systems tailored to wireless applications with an emphasis on low power consumption and system simplicity. [2024-0008]
{"title":"An Approach to Near Zero Power Bi-Stable Driving With a Simple Pulse Signal for RF MEMS Switch","authors":"Rusong He;Lyuyan Wang;Zhenci Sun;Jiahao Zhao","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3377279","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3377279","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reports a novel bi-stable structure for a radio frequency micro-electro-mechanical system (RF MEMS) switch. The structure is activated by an in-plane electrostatic actuator and adopts the Inertial Generated Timing Sequence (IGTS) method to latch, allowing the switch to turn on and off with a simple pulse signal. This design eliminates the need for a complex external control circuit and enables the switch to maintain the ON state at zero power consumption. Furthermore, the electrode shape is designed to reduce the driving voltage, thereby lowering the power consumption of the boost circuit. To test and verify the functionality of the bi-stable mechanism, a coplanar waveguide (CPW), which is separated from the actuation structure to reduce interference between the DC drive signal and the RF transmitted signal, is employed. Fabricated using a silicon-on-glass process with two lithographic masks, the RF MEMS switch achieves bi-stability with a single pulse signal of 18V for latching and 14V for unlatching. The measured insertion loss and isolation at 6 GHz are −0.28 dB and −36.68 dB, respectively. This switch exhibits low pull-in voltage, low power consumption, and simple control, holding potential for future RF systems tailored to wireless applications with an emphasis on low power consumption and system simplicity. [2024-0008]","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 3","pages":"322-332"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140302795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-22DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3377595
Bartosz Pruchnik;Tomasz Piasecki;Ewelina Gacka;Mateus G. Masteghin;David C. Cox;Teodor Gotszalk
In this article, we present a focused ion beam-induced deposition (FIBID) technique to improve the MEMS thermomechanical actuation efficiency by up to 3 orders of magnitude. During experiments, we investigated the thermomechanical actuation performance of silicon on insulator (SOI) cantilevers integrated in 4-sensors based array. The FIBID process was employed to add an extra layer with a different (and homogeneous) thermal expansion coefficient. The FIBID structures were deterministically deposited with the aid of a xenon-plasma focused ion beam (i.e., no stray species in the amorphous carbon pads). This approach enabled the enhancement of actuation efficiency without any changes in structure stiffness. In this way, an increase in the actuation deflection of 2 orders of magnitude was obtained, which was connected with reduction in the structure stiffness pointing to the enhanced force sensitivity.
{"title":"Improvement of MEMS Thermomechanical Actuation Efficiency by Focused Ion Beam-Induced Deposition","authors":"Bartosz Pruchnik;Tomasz Piasecki;Ewelina Gacka;Mateus G. Masteghin;David C. Cox;Teodor Gotszalk","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3377595","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3377595","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, we present a focused ion beam-induced deposition (FIBID) technique to improve the MEMS thermomechanical actuation efficiency by up to 3 orders of magnitude. During experiments, we investigated the thermomechanical actuation performance of silicon on insulator (SOI) cantilevers integrated in 4-sensors based array. The FIBID process was employed to add an extra layer with a different (and homogeneous) thermal expansion coefficient. The FIBID structures were deterministically deposited with the aid of a xenon-plasma focused ion beam (i.e., no stray species in the amorphous carbon pads). This approach enabled the enhancement of actuation efficiency without any changes in structure stiffness. In this way, an increase in the actuation deflection of 2 orders of magnitude was obtained, which was connected with reduction in the structure stiffness pointing to the enhanced force sensitivity.","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 3","pages":"362-368"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140200592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nanoneedles are used for a variety of different biomedical applications such as intracellular injection/extraction and electrical recording. Combining these two capabilities in one device, however, remains challenging. We propose a novel method for fabricating fluidically connected arrays of hollow nanoneedles and characterize the resulting devices regarding their fluidic and electrochemical functionalities. The fabrication process relies solely on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible and scalable microsystems technology methods. Fluorescence microscopy is used to prove the successful transport of molecules through the passive nanoneedle chips. Electrochemical measurements of ion flows through these devices further confirm both the fluidic contact and the validity of an analytical model used to estimate the electrical resistance of the chips. In total, the presented work paves the way for monolithic integration of fluidic and electrical functionalities for intracellular contacting in a single device. This, in turn, can enable controlled, continuous drug delivery with simultaneous electrical recording on a highly scalable platform. [2023-0171]
{"title":"CMOS-Compatible Hollow Nanoneedles With Fluidic Connection","authors":"Noah Brechmann;Marvin Michel;Leon Doman;Andreas Albert;Karsten Seidl","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3376991","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3376991","url":null,"abstract":"Nanoneedles are used for a variety of different biomedical applications such as intracellular injection/extraction and electrical recording. Combining these two capabilities in one device, however, remains challenging. We propose a novel method for fabricating fluidically connected arrays of hollow nanoneedles and characterize the resulting devices regarding their fluidic and electrochemical functionalities. The fabrication process relies solely on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible and scalable microsystems technology methods. Fluorescence microscopy is used to prove the successful transport of molecules through the passive nanoneedle chips. Electrochemical measurements of ion flows through these devices further confirm both the fluidic contact and the validity of an analytical model used to estimate the electrical resistance of the chips. In total, the presented work paves the way for monolithic integration of fluidic and electrical functionalities for intracellular contacting in a single device. This, in turn, can enable controlled, continuous drug delivery with simultaneous electrical recording on a highly scalable platform. [2023-0171]","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 3","pages":"342-349"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10477994","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140200727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-21DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3375363
Zhong-Wei Lin;Cheng-Yen Wu;Sheng-Shian Li
Operating micro-nanoscale sensors in conductive liquids faces challenges due to liquid damping and high feedthrough floor, leading to low signal-to-feedthrough ratio. This work presents an innovative feedthrough engineering technique for resonant sensors immersed in ionic liquids, eliminating the need of isolation layers or additional processing for the sensing device. By leveraging the feedthrough path through substrate, the proposed technique counteracts the feedthrough induced by the ionic liquid, and successfully resumes the desired motional signal of the sensor. A thin-film piezoelectric-on-silicon (TPoS) resonator and oscillator operated in ionic environment are introduced to demonstrate that this technique not only enables the measurement of resonant signals in conductive liquids but also offers suitable options regarding the mode shape and resonant frequency of the sensor in different ion concentration environments. Additionally, the cancellation phenomenon shows potential as a concentration detector for ionic liquids. The fundamental (5MHz) and higher (15MHz) frequency modes of the PZT-based resonator are thoroughly investigated. Measurements show that regardless of the frequency where it operates, the resonator features decent stopband rejection (SBR) of around 18~20dB using the cancellation approach, which is even better than operating in deionized water. When employed as an oscillator, the results indicate a remarkable frequency resolution of approximately 1.8 Hz for both fundamental and higher mode frequencies. These measurements highlight the improved resonant behavior and real-time sensing capability offered by the proposed technique in conductive liquids. Such MEMS resonant transducers using this engineered feedthrough cancellation mechanism would serve as crucial building blocks for chemical and biosensing applications. [2023-0194]
{"title":"Feedthrough Engineering to Enable Resonant Sensors Working in Conductive Medium for Bio Applications","authors":"Zhong-Wei Lin;Cheng-Yen Wu;Sheng-Shian Li","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3375363","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3375363","url":null,"abstract":"Operating micro-nanoscale sensors in conductive liquids faces challenges due to liquid damping and high feedthrough floor, leading to low signal-to-feedthrough ratio. This work presents an innovative feedthrough engineering technique for resonant sensors immersed in ionic liquids, eliminating the need of isolation layers or additional processing for the sensing device. By leveraging the feedthrough path through substrate, the proposed technique counteracts the feedthrough induced by the ionic liquid, and successfully resumes the desired motional signal of the sensor. A thin-film piezoelectric-on-silicon (TPoS) resonator and oscillator operated in ionic environment are introduced to demonstrate that this technique not only enables the measurement of resonant signals in conductive liquids but also offers suitable options regarding the mode shape and resonant frequency of the sensor in different ion concentration environments. Additionally, the cancellation phenomenon shows potential as a concentration detector for ionic liquids. The fundamental (5MHz) and higher (15MHz) frequency modes of the PZT-based resonator are thoroughly investigated. Measurements show that regardless of the frequency where it operates, the resonator features decent stopband rejection (SBR) of around 18~20dB using the cancellation approach, which is even better than operating in deionized water. When employed as an oscillator, the results indicate a remarkable frequency resolution of approximately 1.8 Hz for both fundamental and higher mode frequencies. These measurements highlight the improved resonant behavior and real-time sensing capability offered by the proposed technique in conductive liquids. Such MEMS resonant transducers using this engineered feedthrough cancellation mechanism would serve as crucial building blocks for chemical and biosensing applications. [2023-0194]","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 3","pages":"333-341"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140200584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-21DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3375930
Rui M. R. Pinto;Pedro Brito;Virginia Chu;João Pedro Conde
In the above article [1] , which consists in the application of phase noise theory for the prediction of MEMS mass limit of detection, an error was found in Eq. (10) . The error resulted in the overestimation of the frequency resolution $left(Delta f_{min }right)$ and the limit of detection $(LoD)$ . A few other typos were also detected and we take the opportunity to correct them here, for the benefit of the reader. The errata follows below:
{"title":"Erratum to “Thin-Film Silicon MEMS for Dynamic Mass Sensing in Vacuum and Air: Phase Noise, Allan Deviation, Mass Sensitivity and Limits of Detection”","authors":"Rui M. R. Pinto;Pedro Brito;Virginia Chu;João Pedro Conde","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3375930","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3375930","url":null,"abstract":"In the above article \u0000<xref>[1]</xref>\u0000, which consists in the application of phase noise theory for the prediction of MEMS mass limit of detection, an error was found in \u0000<xref>Eq. (10)</xref>\u0000. The error resulted in the overestimation of the frequency resolution \u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$left(Delta f_{min }right)$ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000 and the limit of detection \u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$(LoD)$ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000. A few other typos were also detected and we take the opportunity to correct them here, for the benefit of the reader. The \u0000<italic>errata</i>\u0000 follows below:","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 3","pages":"403-404"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140200585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-18DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2023.3337636
Ryan R. Knight;Ryan Q. Rudy;Jeffrey S. Pulskamp;Robert R. Benoit;Don L. DeVoe;Esmond Lau
A quadruple mass Coriolis vibratory gyroscope operating in the mode-matched condition has been redesigned with the singular focus of minimizing nonlinear transduction mechanisms, thereby allowing for angle random walk (ARW) noise reduction when operating at amplitudes higher than $2~mu text{m}$ . This is achieved through the following steps: (i) redesigning the Coriolis mass folded flexures and shuttle springs, (ii) linearizing the antiphase coupler spring rate while maintaining parasitic modal separation, (iii) replacing parallel plate transducers with linear combs, (iv) implementing dedicated force-balanced electrostatic frequency tuners, and (v) microTorr vacuum packaging enabling operation at the thermoelastic dissipation limit of silicon. Additionally, cross-axis stiffness is reduced through folded-flexure moment balancing to further reduce ARW. By the balancing of positive and negative Duffing frequency contributions, net frequency nonlinearity was further reduced to −20 ppm. The gyroscope presented in this study has achieved an ARW of 0.0005 deg/ $surd $ hr, with an uncompensated bias instability of 0.08 deg/hr. These advancements hold promise for enhancing the performance of precision vibratory gyroscopes for navigation and North-finding applications. [2023-0144]
{"title":"Quadruple Mass Gyroscope Angle Random Walk Reduction Through Linearized Transduction","authors":"Ryan R. Knight;Ryan Q. Rudy;Jeffrey S. Pulskamp;Robert R. Benoit;Don L. DeVoe;Esmond Lau","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2023.3337636","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2023.3337636","url":null,"abstract":"A quadruple mass Coriolis vibratory gyroscope operating in the mode-matched condition has been redesigned with the singular focus of minimizing nonlinear transduction mechanisms, thereby allowing for angle random walk (ARW) noise reduction when operating at amplitudes higher than \u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$2~mu text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000. This is achieved through the following steps: (i) redesigning the Coriolis mass folded flexures and shuttle springs, (ii) linearizing the antiphase coupler spring rate while maintaining parasitic modal separation, (iii) replacing parallel plate transducers with linear combs, (iv) implementing dedicated force-balanced electrostatic frequency tuners, and (v) microTorr vacuum packaging enabling operation at the thermoelastic dissipation limit of silicon. Additionally, cross-axis stiffness is reduced through folded-flexure moment balancing to further reduce ARW. By the balancing of positive and negative Duffing frequency contributions, net frequency nonlinearity was further reduced to −20 ppm. The gyroscope presented in this study has achieved an ARW of 0.0005 deg/\u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$surd $ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000hr, with an uncompensated bias instability of 0.08 deg/hr. These advancements hold promise for enhancing the performance of precision vibratory gyroscopes for navigation and North-finding applications. [2023-0144]","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 3","pages":"308-321"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140169186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this research, micromachined silicon membranes with embedded electrostatic vertical actuator arrays capable of high out-of-plane displacement have been presented. The performance of such devices as MEMS speakers has been characterized by showing relatively high Sound Pressure level (SPL) compared to existing MEMS electrostatic speakers. Large arrays of electrostatic actuator cells, consisting of up to 10,000 cells with submicron transduction gaps, are formed on the edges of the membranes, inducing a bending moment in the membrane upon excitation. The large number of cells, along with submicron transduction gaps, allow much larger vibrational energy to be pumped into the vibrating membrane compared to the conventional electrostatic acoustic transducers, leading to higher sound output. For $50 , mu $ m thick membranes with a device footprint of 5mm $ times 5$ mm, a maximum SPL of 114 dB in open air was measured at a 1 cm distance, translating to an out-of- plane displacement of over $16 , mu $ m for the membrane. The transducer strength figure of merit defined as acoustic pressure per membrane surface area per actuation voltage, for the tested devices, is calculated to be up to $25.1 times 10^{-5}$ Pa/mm2/V, which is over 5X higher than the highest values calculated for the existing art. [2023-0192]
在这项研究中，展示了带有嵌入式静电垂直致动器阵列的微机械硅膜，该阵列能够产生较大的平面外位移。与现有的 MEMS 静电扬声器相比，这种装置作为 MEMS 扬声器的性能表现出相对较高的声压级 (SPL)。由多达 10,000 个具有亚微米传导间隙的单元组成的大型静电致动器单元阵列位于薄膜边缘，在受到激励时会在薄膜上产生弯矩。与传统的静电声学换能器相比，大量的单元和亚微米级的传导间隙可以将更大的振动能量泵入振动膜，从而获得更高的声音输出。对于厚度为 50 mu $ m、设备占地面积为 5 mm 乘以 5 mm 的膜，在 1 cm 距离处测得的开放空气中最大声压级为 114 dB，即膜的平面外位移超过 16 mu $ m。经计算，测试装置的换能器强度优点值（定义为每启动电压下每膜表面积的声压）高达 25.1 times 10^{-5}$ Pa/mm2/V，比现有技术计算出的最高值高出 5 倍多。[2023-0192]
{"title":"Electrostatic MEMS Speakers With Embedded Vertical Actuation","authors":"Md Emran Hossain Bhuiyan;Prithviraj Palit;Siavash Pourkamali","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3394809","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3394809","url":null,"abstract":"In this research, micromachined silicon membranes with embedded electrostatic vertical actuator arrays capable of high out-of-plane displacement have been presented. The performance of such devices as MEMS speakers has been characterized by showing relatively high Sound Pressure level (SPL) compared to existing MEMS electrostatic speakers. Large arrays of electrostatic actuator cells, consisting of up to 10,000 cells with submicron transduction gaps, are formed on the edges of the membranes, inducing a bending moment in the membrane upon excitation. The large number of cells, along with submicron transduction gaps, allow much larger vibrational energy to be pumped into the vibrating membrane compared to the conventional electrostatic acoustic transducers, leading to higher sound output. For \u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$50 , mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000m thick membranes with a device footprint of 5mm \u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$ times 5$ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000mm, a maximum SPL of 114 dB in open air was measured at a 1 cm distance, translating to an out-of- plane displacement of over \u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$16 , mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000m for the membrane. The transducer strength figure of merit defined as acoustic pressure per membrane surface area per actuation voltage, for the tested devices, is calculated to be up to \u0000<inline-formula> <tex-math>$25.1 times 10^{-5}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>\u0000 Pa/mm2/V, which is over 5X higher than the highest values calculated for the existing art. [2023-0192]","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 4","pages":"446-455"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141061721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We present a new design for AlScN contour-mode-resonators (CMRs) operating in the radiofrequency (RF) range. This design relies on acoustic metamaterials (AM) based lateral anchors to greatly enhance the power handling compared to conventional CMR-designs. Such anchors generate acoustic stopbands that prevent the leakage of piezo-generated acoustic energy from the resonating body into the substrate. The AM anchors reported in this work consist of the same AlScN film as in the CMRs’ active region, combined with a periodic array of SiO2 rods. Their use allows a reduction of CMRs’ thermal resistance with respect to conventional designs, and enables a significant temperature compensation. As a result, the CMRs with AM anchors reported in this work show a ~60% reduction in their Duffing coefficient with respect to conventional designs with fully-etched lateral sides, hence an improved linearity. Furthermore, when used to set the output frequency of high-power feedback loop oscillators, the CMRs with the AM anchors reported here enable a lower phase-noise compared to what achievable when employing the conventional counterparts.[2024-0053]
{"title":"Multipurpose Acoustic Metamaterial Anchors for Aluminum Scandium Nitride Contour Mode Resonators","authors":"Xuanyi Zhao;Onurcan Kaya;Tommaso Maggioli;Cristian Cassella","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3399593","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3399593","url":null,"abstract":"We present a new design for AlScN contour-mode-resonators (CMRs) operating in the radiofrequency (RF) range. This design relies on acoustic metamaterials (AM) based lateral anchors to greatly enhance the power handling compared to conventional CMR-designs. Such anchors generate acoustic stopbands that prevent the leakage of piezo-generated acoustic energy from the resonating body into the substrate. The AM anchors reported in this work consist of the same AlScN film as in the CMRs’ active region, combined with a periodic array of SiO2 rods. Their use allows a reduction of CMRs’ thermal resistance with respect to conventional designs, and enables a significant temperature compensation. As a result, the CMRs with AM anchors reported in this work show a ~60% reduction in their Duffing coefficient with respect to conventional designs with fully-etched lateral sides, hence an improved linearity. Furthermore, when used to set the output frequency of high-power feedback loop oscillators, the CMRs with the AM anchors reported here enable a lower phase-noise compared to what achievable when employing the conventional counterparts.[2024-0053]","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 4","pages":"473-481"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10532126","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141063929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-15DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3392855
Ethan A. Scott;Hwijong Lee;John N. Nogan;Don Bethke;Peter A. Sharma;Patrick E. Hopkins;Tzu-Ming Lu;C. Thomas Harris
Silicon nitride has long been employed in the microfabrication of thermal sensors due to its favorable material properties and the ease with which it facilitates surface micromachining. While a variety of studies have utilized thin silicon nitride membranes for high sensitivity thermal measurements, limited reports exist on the physical characteristics of membranes and platforms in a thickness limit much less than 100 nm. Herein, we report on the development of low-stress, suspended silicon nitride platform devices that enable thermal characterization of membranes ranging from 120 nm to less than 10 nm in thickness, providing thermal conductivities as low as 1.1 W m−1 K−1 near room temperature. Applications of these platforms may enable appreciable enhancement in the performance of devices reliant upon environmental thermal isolation including bolometers, calorimeters, and gas sensors, among others. [2024-0003]
{"title":"Suspended Silicon Nitride Platforms for Thermal Sensing Applications in the Limit of Minimized Membrane Thickness","authors":"Ethan A. Scott;Hwijong Lee;John N. Nogan;Don Bethke;Peter A. Sharma;Patrick E. Hopkins;Tzu-Ming Lu;C. Thomas Harris","doi":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3392855","DOIUrl":"10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3392855","url":null,"abstract":"Silicon nitride has long been employed in the microfabrication of thermal sensors due to its favorable material properties and the ease with which it facilitates surface micromachining. While a variety of studies have utilized thin silicon nitride membranes for high sensitivity thermal measurements, limited reports exist on the physical characteristics of membranes and platforms in a thickness limit much less than 100 nm. Herein, we report on the development of low-stress, suspended silicon nitride platform devices that enable thermal characterization of membranes ranging from 120 nm to less than 10 nm in thickness, providing thermal conductivities as low as 1.1 W m−1 K−1 near room temperature. Applications of these platforms may enable appreciable enhancement in the performance of devices reliant upon environmental thermal isolation including bolometers, calorimeters, and gas sensors, among others. [2024-0003]","PeriodicalId":16621,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems","volume":"33 4","pages":"419-426"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141063949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.1109/JMEMS.2024.3395294
Lei Zhao;Chong Yang;Xinyue Zhang;Zhiwei You;Yipeng Lu
The demand for high-performance lead-free piezoelectric ultrasound transducers has grown significantly, driven by their applications in implantable, biocompatible medical devices and environmentally friendly consumer electronics. In this study, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of arrays of lead-free (K, Na)NbO3 (KNN)-based piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) with a center frequency of 4.7 MHz in liquid and 5.85 MHz in air. High-quality KNN thin film (FWHM of 0.32°, $e_{mathrm {31,}f}= -12$ C/m2, $epsilon _{r} =1200$ ) was deposited via physical vapor deposition (PVD) and patterned using an optimized wet etching process with an oxide layer as a mask. Additionally, we obtained a −6 dB fractional bandwidth of 95.7% through optimizing layer stacks and transducers mutual acoustic impedance based on finite element model (FEM) and lumped element model (LEM) methods. We achieved high transmitting performance of 3.8 kPa/V at 3 cm away from a PMUT super-pixel (with an area of 0.278 mm2, consisting of $3times 12$ PMUTs). The measured transducer performance is comparable to previous PMUTs based on PZT (lead-included) thin films and demonstrates the potential of KNN-based PMUTs in future advanced applications. [2024-0005]
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