MECHANICAL RESONATING STRUCTURES AND METHODS

• US 20100314969A1
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sand9, Inc.
• Inventors: Bahreyni, Behraad, Mohanty, Pritiraj, Kuypers, Jan H., Zolfagharkhani, Guiti, Schoepf, Klaus Juergen, Gaidarzhy, Alexei, Chen, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,446,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/321
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/0244 Anchor loss
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02338 Suspension means
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02433 Means for compensation or elimination of undesired effects

Abstract

Apparatus and methods of connecting mechanical resonating structures to a body are described. Multi-element anchors may include a flexible portion that flexes when the mechanical resonating structure vibrates. The flexible portion may have a length related to the resonance frequency of the mechanical resonating structures. Some of the multi-element anchors include elements that are oriented perpendicularly to each other. MEMS incorporating such structures are also described.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a body;

a mechanical resonating structure; and

a multi-element anchor coupling the mechanical resonating structure to the body, the multi-element anchor comprising a flexible element that is flexible in a direction perpendicular to a direction of vibration of the mechanical resonating structure.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the body is a substrate.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the mechanical resonating structure is substantially planar.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the multi-element anchor comprises a first element proximate the mechanical resonating structure and a second element distal the mechanical resonating structure and contacting the substrate, the second element being the flexible element.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the second element is flexible in a direction perpendicular to a direction of vibration of a dominant in-plane vibration mode of the mechanical resonating structure.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the first and second elements of the multi-element anchor are oriented substantially perpendicularly to each other.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the first element of the multi-element anchor is a beam and has a length approximately equal to a multiple of one quarter of a wavelength of a resonance frequency of vibration of the mechanical resonating structure.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein the first element of the multi-element anchor is a beam and has a length of less than approximately 5 microns.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first element of the multi-element anchor has a width of less than approximately 5 microns.

10. The device of claim 4, wherein the first element of the multi-element anchor is a beam and has a width of less than approximately 5 microns.

11. The device of claim 4, wherein the second element of the multi-element anchor comprises two ends fixed to the substrate, and wherein the second element is flexible between the two ends.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the second element of the multi-element anchor is a beam, the beam having a length and width defining a resonance frequency of the beam to be approximately equal to a resonance frequency of the mechanical resonating structure.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein a length of a flexible portion of the second element is approximately equal to a multiple of ¼

of a wavelength of a resonance frequency of the mechanical resonating structure.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the length of the flexible portion of the second element is in the range of approximately 5-50 microns.

15. The device of claim 2, wherein the mechanical resonating structure has a largest dimension less than approximately 1000 microns.

16. The device of claim 2, wherein the mechanical resonating structure has a resonance frequency between approximately 1 kHz and 1 GHz.

17. The device of claim 2, wherein the mechanical resonating structure has a resonance frequency between approximately 1 GHz and 10 GHz.

18. The device of claim 2, wherein the mechanical resonating structure is substantially ring-shaped or disc-shaped.

19. The device of claim 2, wherein the device comprises two or more multi-element anchors coupling the mechanical resonating structure to the substrate.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the device comprises four multi-element anchors coupling the mechanical resonating structure to the substrate.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the device comprises six multi-element anchors coupling the mechanical resonating structure to the substrate.

22. A device comprising:

a body;

a mechanical resonating structure; and

a multi-element anchor coupling the mechanical resonating structure to the body, the multi-element anchor comprising a flexible element that is flexible in a direction parallel to a direction of vibration of the mechanical resonating structure.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the flexible element is flexible in a direction parallel to a direction of unwanted vibration of the mechanical resonating structure.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the flexible element is flexible in a direction parallel to a direction of secondary vibration of the mechanical resonating structure.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the mechanical resonating structure is substantially ring-shaped.

26. The device of claim 22, wherein the mechanical resonating structure is substantially disc-shaped.

27. A method of operating a mechanical resonating structure coupled to a body by a multi-element anchor, the method comprising:

actuating the mechanical resonating structure so that the mechanical resonating structure vibrates in a primary direction and a secondary direction; and

damping the vibration in the secondary direction using a flexible element of the multi-element anchor.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein damping the vibration comprises flexing the flexible element of the multi-element anchor in a direction parallel to the secondary direction.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein damping the vibration comprises flexing the flexible element of the multi-element anchor in a direction perpendicular to the secondary direction.