Micro-resonator design implementing internal resonance for MEMS applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12519442-B2
Application number	US-202318476861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2023
Priority date	Mar 14, 2019
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

Frequency stabilization is provided in a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) oscillator via tunable internal resonance (IR). A device comprises a MEMS resonator comprising a stepped-beam structure that is a thin-layer structure. The resonator may be configured to implement IR. The stepped-beam structure may be configured to provide flexibility to adjust modal frequencies into a n:m ratio, wherein n and m are integers. The thin-layer structure provides frequency tunability by controlling the mid-plane stretching effect with an applied DC bias. The thin-layer structure compensates for a frequency mismatch from a n:m ratio due to a fabrication error. The MEMS resonator may be an oscillator.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A device comprising:
a non-prismatic resonator configured to implement internal resonance (IR) to provide flexibility to adjust modal frequencies into a n:m ratio, wherein n and m are integers; and a plurality of electrodes configured to provide voltage to the resonator, wherein the non-prismatic resonator is a clamped-clamped silicon structure with varied dimensions, incorporating one or multiple steps or slopes.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the resonator is one of a micromechanical resonator or a nanomechanical resonator.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the resonator is a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator.

4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the MEMS resonator is an oscillator.

5 . The device of claim 3 , wherein a mistuning between two flexural modes of the MEMS resonator can be precisely controlled by tuning a DC bias and, through strong coupling between the two flexural modes, a broader range of frequency stabilization is achieved by internal resonance (IR).

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the resonator comprises at least one of a stepped-beam structure that is a thin-layer structure, or a clamped-clamped beam structure.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the resonator is configured to implement the IR to adjust the modal frequencies into a n:m ratio, wherein m and n are different integers, each equal or greater than one.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the resonator is configured that when driven by a single-frequency actuation and conditions for IR are satisfied, two engaged modes are simultaneously resonated with their phases locked together through an intermodal energy transfer.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein through DC bias tuning strategy, a 1:2 commensurate relation is achieved between second and third flexural modes.

10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the resonator comprises a non-prismatic beam.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the stepped clamped-clamped silicon microbeam is fabricated by a MEMS fabrication flow to implement an IR mechanism.

12 . A system comprising:
a micro resonator that incorporates a 1:2 ratio between second and third modal frequencies of the micro resonator, wherein the micro resonator comprises a structure with varied dimensions, incorporating one or multiple steps or slopes, configured to provide flexibility to adjust modal frequencies into a n:m ratio, wherein n and m are integers.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the micro-resonator comprises silicon.

14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the system is a geometrically nonlinear non-prismatic internal resonance (IR) system.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the micro-resonator is configured to adjust the modal frequencies into a n:m ratio, wherein m and n are different integers, each greater than one.

Assignees

• Ohio State Innovation Foundation

Inventors

• Cho Han Na
• Yu Jun

Classifications

• H03H9/2463 Primary

  Clamped-clamped beam resonators · CPC title

• H03H9/02409

  by application of a DC-bias voltage (H03H9/02417 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03H2009/02488

  Vibration modes · CPC title

• H03H9/02259

  Driving or detection means · CPC title

• H03H3/0077 Primary

  by tuning of resonance frequency · CPC title