Differential split-electrode feedthrough cancellation mechanism

• US 10,236,858 B1
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Sorenson, Logan, Perahia, Raviv, Nguyen, Hung, Chang, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salazar, Jr., Jorge L
• Application Number:
  US14/836,462
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 333186, 333187-188
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5733 Structural details or topology
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5776 Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/08 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce detrimental influences of internal impedances of amplifying elements wide-band amplifiers with inter-stage coupling networks incorporating these impedances H03F1/42
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/261 Amplifier which being suitable for instrumentation applications
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45116 Feedback coupled to the input of the differential amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45528 the FBC comprising one or more passive resistors and being coupled between the LC and the IC
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45475 using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02456 Parasitic elements or effects, e.g. parasitic capacitive coupling between input and output
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02527 Combined
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02259 Driving or detection means
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02275 Comb electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/302 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/87 Electrodes or interconnections, e.g. leads or terminals

Abstract

An electromechanical resonator including a drive electrode set having at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes and including a sense electrode set having at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes.

Claims

1. An electromechanical resonator comprising:

a drive electrode set comprising at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes;

a sense electrode set comprising at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes;

a resonator between the drive electrode set and the sense electrode set;

a first gap between the drive electrode set and the resonator; and

a second gap between the sense electrode set and the resonator;

wherein the resonator comprises a dielectric material, a cylindrical shell, a fused quartz disk, or a doped semiconducting material.

2. The electromechanical resonator of claim 1:

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes comprises a first drive electrode having a first polarity and a second drive electrode having a second polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the first polarity; and

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes comprises a first sense electrode having a third polarity and a second sense electrode having a fourth polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the third polarity.

3. The electromechanical resonator of claim 2:

wherein the first drive electrode is coupled to a first alternating current (AC) driving voltage source;

wherein the second drive electrode is coupled to a second AC driving voltage source; and

wherein the second AC driving voltage source is 180 degrees out of phase with the first AC driving voltage source.

4. The electromechanical resonator of claim 3:

wherein the first AC driving voltage source is Vid/2; and

wherein the second AC driving voltage source is −

Vid/2.

5. The electromechanical resonator of claim 4 further comprising:

a first direct current (DC) voltage source having a DC voltage divided by two is coupled to the first alternating current (AC) driving voltage source;

a second DC voltage source having the negative of the DC voltage divided by two is coupled to the second alternating current (AC) driving voltage source;

a third DC voltage source having a third voltage divided by two; and

a fourth DC voltage source having the negative of the third voltage divided by two;

wherein the third DC voltage source is coupled to the first sense electrode; and

wherein the fourth DC voltage source is coupled to the second sense electrode.

6. The electromechanical resonator of claim 2 further comprising:

a first parasitic feedthrough capacitance between the first drive electrode and the first sense electrode;

a second parasitic feedthrough capacitance between the second drive electrode and the first sense electrode;

a third parasitic feedthrough capacitance between the first drive electrode and the second sense electrode; and

a fourth parasitic feedthrough capacitance between the second drive electrode and the second sense electrode;

wherein feedthrough due to the first and second parasitic capacitance from the first and second drive electrodes to the first sense electrode is reduced due to the first and second drive electrodes being driven 180 degrees out of phase with one another; and

wherein feedthrough due to the third and fourth parasitic capacitance from the first and second drive electrodes to the second sense electrode is reduced due to the first and second drive electrodes being driven 180 degrees out of phase with one another.

7. The electromechanical resonator of claim 1:

wherein each pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes comprises a first drive electrode having a first polarity and a second drive electrode having a second polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the first polarity; and

wherein each pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes comprises a first sense electrode having a third polarity and a second sense electrode having a fourth polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the third polarity.

8. The electromechanical resonator of claim 1 further comprising:

a transimpedance amplifier having a differential output and having a differential input coupled to the sense electrode set.

9. The electromechanical resonator of claim 8:

wherein the differential input comprises a negative input and a positive input;

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes comprises a first sense electrode coupled to the negative input and a second sense electrode coupled to the positive input; and

wherein the differential output comprises a positive output and a negative output; and

wherein the transimpedance amplifier further comprises;

a first feedback resistor coupled between the positive output and the negative input; and

a second feedback resistor coupled between the negative output and the positive input; and

wherein an output voltage between the positive output and the negative output is Vod.

10. The electromechanical resonator of claim 9:

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes comprises a first drive electrode coupled to a first AC driving voltage source having a voltage of Vid/2, and a second drive electrode coupled to a second AC driving voltage source having a voltage of −

Vid/2; and

wherein an open loop transfer function of the resonator is abs(Vd/Vi).

11. The electromechanical resonator of claim 1:

wherein the resonator comprises a proof mass between the drive electrode set and the sense electrode set;

wherein the first gap is between the drive electrode set and the proof mass; and

wherein the second gap is between the proof mass and the sense electrode set.

12. The electromechanical resonator of claim 1:

wherein each electrode of the pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes comprises a parallel plate capacitive transducer; and

wherein each electrode of the pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes comprises a parallel plate capacitive transducer.

13. A phononic crystal acoustic processing device comprising:

a piezoelectric interdigitated drive transducer;

a phononic crystal coupled to the piezoelectric interdigitated drive transducer; and

a piezoelectric interdigitated sense transducer coupled to the phononic crystal on a side of the phononic crystal opposite to the piezoelectric interdigitated drive transducer;

wherein the piezoelectric interdigitated drive transducer comprises;

a piezoelectric layer; and

at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes on the piezoelectric layer; and

wherein the piezoelectric interdigitated sense transducer comprises;

at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes on the piezoelectric layer.

14. The phononic crystal acoustic processing device of claim 13:

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes comprises a first drive electrode having a first polarity and a second drive electrode having a second polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the first polarity;

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes comprises a first sense electrode having a third polarity and a second sense electrode having a fourth polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the third polarity; and

wherein feedthrough due to parasitic capacitance from the drive electrode set to the sense electrode set is reduced due to the first and second drive electrodes being driven 180 degrees out of phase with one another.

15. A piezoelectric-on-substrate MEMS resonator comprising:

a piezoelectric layer;

a drive electrode set comprising at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes on the piezoelectric layer; and

a sense electrode set comprising at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes on the piezoelectric layer and separated from the drive electrode set by a gap;

wherein the drive electrode set is on a first side of the piezoelectric layer; and

wherein the sense electrode set is on a second side of the piezoelectric layer opposite the first side.

16. The piezoelectric-on-substrate MEMS resonator of claim 15:

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes comprises a first drive electrode having a first polarity and a second drive electrode having a second polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the first polarity;

wherein the at least one pair of alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes comprises a first sense electrode having a third polarity and a second sense electrode having a fourth polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the third polarity; and

wherein feedthrough due to parasitic capacitance from the drive electrode set to the sense electrode set is reduced due to the first and second drive electrodes being driven 180 degrees out of phase with one another.

17. A device for providing alternating pole interdigitated drive electrodes and alternating pole interdigitated sense electrodes comprising:

a first drive pad;

a second drive pad;

a first sense pad;

a second sense pad;

a first drive bus coupled to the first drive pad;

a second drive bus coupled to the second drive pad;

a first sense bus coupled to the first sense pad;

a second sense bus coupled to the second sense pad;

a plurality of first drive electrode fingers coupled to the first drive bus;

a plurality of second drive electrode fingers coupled to the second drive bus;

a plurality of first sense electrode fingers coupled to the first sense bus;

a plurality of second sense electrode fingers coupled to the second sense bus;

wherein the plurality of first drive electrode fingers are interdigitated with the plurality of second drive electrode fingers so that the first drive electrode fingers and the second drive electrode fingers alternate; and

wherein the plurality of first sense electrode fingers are interdigitated with the plurality of second sense electrode fingers so that the first sense electrode fingers and the second sense electrode fingers alternate.

18. The device of claim 17:

wherein the first drive electrode fingers and the second drive electrode fingers extend so that an end of each first drive electrode finger and each second drive electrode finger is arranged along a circumference; and

wherein the first sense electrode fingers and the second sense electrode fingers extend so that an end of each first sense electrode finger and each second sense electrode finger is arranged along the circumference.

19. The device of claim 17:

wherein each first drive electrode finger has a first polarity and each second drive electrode finger has a second polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the first polarity; and

wherein each first sense electrode finger has a third polarity and each second sense electrode finger has a fourth polarity 180 degrees out of phase with the third polarity.