ELECTRO-MECHANICAL OSCILLATING DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20110068834A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Trustees of Boston University
• Original Assignee: Trustees of Boston University
• Inventors: Mohanty, Pritiraj, Shim, Seung-Bo, Zolfagharkhani, Guiti, Imboden, Matthias, Badzey, Robert L., Gaidarzhy, Alexei
• Application Number:
  US12/028,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20110068834A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/113
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/30 with frequency-determining element being electromechanical resonator

Abstract

Electro-mechanical oscillating devices designed to convert the frequency of electrical signal(s) and methods associated with the same are described. One example of such a frequency converting device is a mixer.

Claims

1. A device designed to convert the frequency of a signal comprising:

a first mechanical oscillating element; and

a second mechanical oscillating element coupled to the first mechanical oscillating element,

wherein the device is adapted to convert the frequency of a carrier signal from a first frequency to a second frequency, and at least one of the first frequency or the second frequency is in the gigahertz range.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device converts the frequency of the carrier signal by combining the carrier signal with a second signal.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mechanical oscillating element comprises a beam and the second mechanical oscillating element comprises a beam.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first mechanical oscillating element comprises a doubly-clamped beam.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a coupling element that mechanically couples the first mechanical oscillating element to the second mechanical oscillating element.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the coupling element is connected to the first mechanical oscillating element and the second mechanical oscillating element at respective positions approximately at nodes or anti-nodes of the first mechanical oscillating element and the second mechanical oscillating element.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising mechanical oscillating minor elements coupled to at least one of the first mechanical oscillating element or second mechanical oscillating element, the minor elements having a large dimension in the submicron range.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the minor elements have a large dimension between 0.1 micron and 1 micron.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mechanical oscillating element and the second mechanical oscillating element have a large dimension in the micron range.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mechanical oscillating element and the second mechanical oscillating element have a large dimension between 1 micron and 100 micron.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein one of the first mechanical oscillating element and the second mechanical oscillating element have a large dimension in the submicron range.

12. The device of claim 1 further comprising mechanical oscillating minor elements coupled to at least one of the first mechanical oscillating element or the second mechanical oscillating elements, wherein the minor elements have a large dimension between 0.1 micron and 10 micron.

13. A device designed to convert the frequency of a signal comprising:

a first major mechanical oscillating element; and

at least one minor mechanical oscillating element coupled to the first major mechanical oscillating element, the minor element having a large dimension in the submicron range,

wherein the device is adapted to convert the frequency of a carrier signal from a first frequency to a second frequency.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the device converts the frequency of the carrier signal by combining the carrier signal with a second signal.

15. The device of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of minor mechanical oscillating elements coupled to the first mechanical oscillating element, the minor elements having a large dimension in the submicron range.

16. The device of claim 13, further comprising a second major mechanical oscillating element coupled to the first major mechanical oscillating element.

17. A method of converting the frequency of a carrier signal comprising:

converting a frequency of a carrier signal from a first frequency to a second frequency using a device comprising a first mechanical oscillating element, wherein at least one of the first frequency or the second frequency is greater than 1 GHz.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first frequency or the second frequency is within the gigahertz range.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first frequency is greater than 1 GHz.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the second frequency is within the gigahertz range.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the second frequency is greater than the first frequency.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising a second mechanical oscillating element coupled to the first mechanical oscillating element.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising a plurality of mechanical oscillating elements having a large dimension in the submicron range.

25. A method of converting the frequency of a carrier signal comprising:

converting a frequency of a carrier signal from a first frequency to a second frequency using a mixing device comprising at least one mechanical oscillating element having a large dimension in the submicron range.

26. A method of converting the frequency of an input signal comprising:

providing a single input signal having a first frequency to a mechanical oscillating element; and

converting the frequency of the input signal to form an output signal having a second frequency.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first frequency is between 0.1 and 10 times the second frequency.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the first frequency is between 0.5 and 5 times the second frequency.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the first frequency is approximately equal to a rational fraction of a fundamental frequency of the mechanical oscillating element.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the second frequency is approximately equal to a fundamental frequency of the mechanical oscillating element.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are greater than 1 GHz.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the mechanical oscillating element comprises a beam.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein the mechanical oscillating element is coupled to a second mechanical oscillating element.

34. A method of converting the frequency of an input signal comprising:

providing a first input signal having a first frequency to a first mechanical oscillating element;

providing a second input signal having a second frequency to a second mechanical oscillating element, wherein the first mechanical oscillating element is coupled to the second mechanical oscillating element; and

producing an output signal having a third frequency.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first input signal has a first frequency approximately equal to a first mode of vibration.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the second input signal has a second frequency approximately equal to a second mode of vibration.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising providing at least one more input signal and producing at least one more output signal.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of the first frequency, second frequency and third frequency is greater than 100 MHz.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of the first frequency, second frequency and third frequency is greater than 1 GHz.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the third frequency is below 10 MHz.

41. A device configured to convert the frequency of a single input signal having a first frequency provided to a mechanical oscillating element to form an output signal having a second frequency.

42. A frequency converting device configured to have an first input signal having a first frequency provided to a first mechanical oscillating element and a second input signal having a second frequency provided to a second mechanical oscillating element,

wherein the first mechanical oscillating element is coupled to the second mechanical oscillating element and the device is configured to produce an output signal having a third frequency.