Experimental Characterization of the Electrostatic Levitation Force in MEMS Transducers

Daeichin, Meysam; Miles, Ronald N.; Towfighian, Shahrzad

doi:10.1115/1.4046625

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…To derive the electrostatic force, the device was excited quasi-statically and dynamically. The 1 mm × 1 mm plate had 112 levitation units . The same group also reported a pull-in capacitive transducer which employs repulsive electrostatic force.…”

Section: Conventional Mems Acceleration Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acceleration Sensors: Sensing Mechanisms, Emerging Fabrication Strategies, Materials, and Applications

Babatain

Bhattacharjee

Hussain

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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Accelerometers are among the most mature sensor technologies with a broad range of applications in multiple fields and industries. They represent the most widely used microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices with excellent and reliable performance. MEMS acceleration sensors established dominance mainly in navigation and control applications. In recent years, however, recent technologies and materials have emerged that introduce novel sensing mechanisms, improve performance, enable customization, reduce cost, and reduce fabrication complexity. Herein, the recent advances in accelerometers based on MEMS and recent emerging technologies are reviewed. This work provides a comprehensive review of accelerometers' sensing mechanisms and the main characteristics and features of each type of sensor, material, and fabrication strategies used to fabricate them. From the aspect of sensor application, this work focuses on reviewing applications that demonstrate the use of accelerometers manufactured using unconventional technologies and materials in prevailing fields such as healthcare monitoring, automotive industry, navigation, building, and structural monitoring. Moreover, challenges and future efforts needed to be addressed in this field are summarized.

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Section: Conventional Mems Acceleration Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 1 mm × 1 mm plate had 112 levitation units. 56 The same group also reported a pull-in capacitive transducer which employs repulsive electrostatic force. With two degrees of freedom, the device is shown in Figure 7e.…”

Section: ■ Conventional Mems Acceleration Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceleration Sensors: Sensing Mechanisms, Emerging Fabrication Strategies, Materials, and Applications

Babatain

Bhattacharjee

Hussain

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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“…In the repulsive configuration, an electrical voltage is applied on the two side electrodes on the substrate, while the middle fixed electrode and the moving electrode are grounded. This voltage distribution leads to an electrostatic force that pushes the moving electrode away from the substrate [16], [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-Stroke Capacitive MEMS Accelerometer Without Pull-In

2021

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In this study, the feasibility of obtaining electrical read-out data from a capacitive MEMS accelerometer that employs repulsive electrode configuration is demonstrated. This configuration allows for large-stroke vibrations of microstructures without suffering from pull-in failure that exists in conventional accelerometers based on the parallelplate configuration. With initial fabrication gap of 2.75µm, the accelerometer can reach a 4.2µm dynamical displacement amplitude. The accelerometer is tested up to 95(V) without exhibiting pull-in failure. For comparison, the pull-in voltage of an accelerometer with same dimensions but with conventional parallel-plate electrode configuration is 0.8(V). The MEMS device is fabricated using the POLYMUMPs fabrication standard. An electrical circuit is built to measure the capacitance change due to motion of the accelerometer proof-mass. The accelerometer has a mechanical sensitivity of 35 nm g and electrical sensitivity of 5.3 mV g. The ability to use large bias voltages without the typical adverse effects on the stability of the moving electrode will enable the design of capacitive MEMS accelerometers with enhanced resolution and tunable frequency range.

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“…Applying voltages on the side electrode while grounding the movable and bottom electrodes creates an electrostatic force on the movable electrode. This force is upward, meaning that it pushes the microstructure away from the bottom electrode [8,30]. The electrostatic force naturally eliminates the pull-in possibility between the movable and bottom electrodes [11,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because the beam is pushed above its original position when a DC voltage is applied on the side electrode, the effective gap between the moving and bottom electrodes increases [8]. That provides more room for the vibration of the microstructure, enlarging its stroke [8,10,30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic behavior of T-beam resonator with repulsive actuation

2021

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Electrostatic MEMS transducer driven by repulsive force is an attractive possibility and has advantages of avoiding the pull-in instability, tuning the natural frequency, and achieving high sensitivity by applying high enough voltages. In this work, a "T"-shaped beam, which is formed by attaching a secondary beam perpendicular to a primary cantilever at the tip, is introduced and its nonlinear dynamics is analyzed. A reduced-order model is derived from mode shapes formed from electromechanical coupling effects respectively. Generalized forms of forced Mathieu equation of motion are derived, and then, dynamic behaviors are investigated through the theory of multiple scales. The resonant responses, including both primary and principal parametric resonances, reveal softening behavior originating from quadratic and cubic nonlinearities in the governing equation. The behavior of the T-beam is compared with traditional cantilever structure. The resonance under repulsive force demonstrates that the T-beam has several advantages over a traditional cantilever: Lower natural frequency but higher resonant responses can improve the signalto-noise ratio; with an attached micropaddle, the T-

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Experimental Characterization of the Electrostatic Levitation Force in MEMS Transducers

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Acceleration Sensors: Sensing Mechanisms, Emerging Fabrication Strategies, Materials, and Applications

Acceleration Sensors: Sensing Mechanisms, Emerging Fabrication Strategies, Materials, and Applications

Large-Stroke Capacitive MEMS Accelerometer Without Pull-In

Dynamic behavior of T-beam resonator with repulsive actuation

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