Serrated MEMS Resonators
First Claim
1. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for generating a timing signal, the system comprising:
- a MEMS resonator including a first member having an irregular surface comprised of a first plurality of teeth with an arc-to-point profile; and
a first electrode having an irregular surface comprised of a second plurality of teeth with an arc-to-point profile that opposes the irregular surface of the first member, wherein the teeth in the first plurality are interleaved with the teeth in the second plurality when the first member is stationary, andwherein the first member is configured to rotate or bend towards the first electrode in response to a drive signal.
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Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a serrated tooth actuator for driving MEMS resonator structures. The actuator includes a fixed drive electrode having a serrated tooth surface opposing a MEMS resonator arm also having a serrated tooth surface, where the MEMS resonator arm is configured to rotate towards the drive electrode when an AC signal is applied to the drive electrode. Such a configuration permits higher amplitude signals to be applied to the drive electrode without the performance of the actuator being compromised by nonlinear effects. In addition, the serrated tooth configuration enables a sufficiently high actuating force to be maintained even though the distance traversed by the MEMS resonator arm during operation is quite small. Further, the serrated configuration allows a MEMS resonator system to withstand larger fluctuations in voltage and larger substrate stresses without experiencing a substantial shift in resonant frequency.
12 Citations
75 Claims
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1. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for generating a timing signal, the system comprising:
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a MEMS resonator including a first member having an irregular surface comprised of a first plurality of teeth with an arc-to-point profile; and a first electrode having an irregular surface comprised of a second plurality of teeth with an arc-to-point profile that opposes the irregular surface of the first member, wherein the teeth in the first plurality are interleaved with the teeth in the second plurality when the first member is stationary, and wherein the first member is configured to rotate or bend towards the first electrode in response to a drive signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An electronic device, comprising:
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application circuitry; and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for generating a timing signal for the application circuitry, the system comprising; a MEMS resonator including a first member having an irregular surface comprised of a first plurality of teeth with an arc-to-point profile, and a first electrode having an irregular surface comprised of a second plurality of teeth with an arc-to-point profile that opposes the irregular surface of the first member, wherein the teeth in the first plurality are interleaved with the teeth in the second plurality when the first member is stationary, and wherein the first member is configured to rotate or bend towards the first electrode in response to a drive signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for generating a timing signal, the system comprising:
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a MEMS resonator including a first member having an irregular surface comprised of a first plurality of teeth; and a first electrode having an irregular surface comprised of a second plurality of teeth that opposes the irregular surface of the first member, wherein; the teeth in the first plurality are interleaved with the teeth in the second plurality when the first member is stationary, the first member is configured to rotate or bend towards the first electrode in response to a drive signal, a first portion of the first plurality of teeth has a first profile and a second portion of the first plurality of teeth has a second profile, the first profile being different than the second profile, and a first portion of the second plurality of teeth has a third profile and a second portion of the second plurality of teeth has a fourth profile, the third profile being different than the fourth profile. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An electronic device, comprising:
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application circuitry; and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for generating a timing signal for the application circuitry, the system comprising; a MEMS resonator including a first member having an irregular surface comprised of a first plurality of teeth; and a first electrode having an irregular surface comprised of a second plurality of teeth that opposes the irregular surface of the first member, wherein; the teeth in the first plurality are interleaved with the teeth in the second plurality when the first member is stationary, the first member is configured to rotate or bend towards the first electrode in response to a drive signal, a first portion of the first plurality of teeth has a first profile and a second portion of the first plurality of teeth has a second profile, the first profile being different than the second profile, and a first portion of the second plurality of teeth has a third profile and a second portion of the second plurality of teeth has a fourth profile, the third profile being different than the fourth profile. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for generating a timing signal, the system comprising:
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a MEMS resonator including a first member having an irregular surface comprised of a first plurality of teeth; and a first electrode having an irregular surface comprised of a second plurality of teeth that opposes the irregular surface of the first member, wherein the teeth in the first plurality are interlocked with the teeth in the second plurality when the first member is stationary, and wherein the first member is configured to rotate or bend towards the first electrode in response to a drive signal. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. An electronic device, comprising:
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application circuitry; and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for generating a timing signal for the application circuitry, the system comprising; a MEMS resonator including a first member having an irregular surface comprised of a first plurality of teeth, and a first electrode having an irregular surface comprised of a second plurality of teeth that opposes the irregular surface of the first member, wherein the teeth in the first plurality are interlocked with the teeth in the second plurality when the first member is stationary, and wherein the first member is configured to rotate or bend towards the first electrode in response to a drive signal. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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Specification