STICTION RESISTANT MEMS DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATION
First Claim
1. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
- a substrate;
a movable element positioned in spaced apart relationship above a surface of said substrate;
at least one spring member interconnecting said movable element with said substrate, said at least one spring member enabling motion of said movable element, and said at least one spring member exhibiting a first stiffness;
at least one electrode facing said movable element; and
a voltage source in communication with said at least one electrode, said voltage source being configured to apply a spring softening voltage to said at least one electrode to shift a stiffness of said spring member from said first stiffness to a second stiffness, said second stiffness being less than said first stiffness.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A MEMS device (20) includes a movable element (20) suspended above a substrate (22) by a spring member (34) having a spring constant (104). A spring softening voltage (58) is applied to electrodes (24, 26) facing the movable element (20) during a powered mode (100) to decrease the stiffness of the spring member (34) and thereby increase the sensitivity of the movable element (32) to an input stimulus (46). Upon detection of a stiction condition (112), the spring softening voltage (58) is effectively removed to enable recovery of the movable element (32) from the stiction condition (112). A higher mechanical spring constant (104) yields a stiffer spring (34) having a larger restoring force (122) in the unpowered mode (96) in order to enable recovery from the stiction condition (112). A feedback voltage (56) can be applied to feedback electrodes (28, 30) facing the movable element (32) to provide electrical damping.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a movable element positioned in spaced apart relationship above a surface of said substrate; at least one spring member interconnecting said movable element with said substrate, said at least one spring member enabling motion of said movable element, and said at least one spring member exhibiting a first stiffness; at least one electrode facing said movable element; and a voltage source in communication with said at least one electrode, said voltage source being configured to apply a spring softening voltage to said at least one electrode to shift a stiffness of said spring member from said first stiffness to a second stiffness, said second stiffness being less than said first stiffness. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of operating a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device that includes a movable element positioned in spaced apart relationship above a surface of a substrate, at least one spring member interconnecting said movable element with said substrate, at least one electrode facing said movable element, wherein said at least one spring member enables motion of said movable element, said at least one spring member exhibits a first stiffness, and said method comprises:
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applying a spring softening voltage to said at least one electrode to shift a stiffness of said spring member from said first stiffness to a second stiffness, said second stiffness being less than said first stiffness; detecting a stiction condition of said movable element from an output signal provided from said at least one electrode, said stiction condition indicating that said movable element has moved beyond an allowable movement range; and removing said spring softening voltage from said at least one electrode in response to said stiction condition to shift said stiffness of said spring member from said second stiffness to said first stiffness to thereby enable said movable element to return to a first position within said allowable movement range. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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14. A method as claimed in 10 wherein said detecting operation comprises determining that said output signal exceeds an overload threshold value.
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19. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a movable element positioned in spaced apart relationship above a surface of said substrate; at least one spring member interconnecting said movable element with said substrate, said at least one spring member enabling motion of said movable element, and said at least one spring member exhibiting a first stiffness; at least one electrode facing said movable element; at least one force feedback electrode facing said movable element; a voltage source in communication with said at least one electrode, said voltage source being configured to apply a spring softening voltage to said at least one electrode to shift a stiffness of said spring member from said first stiffness to a second stiffness, said second stiffness being less than said first stiffness; a sense circuit in electrical communication with said at least one electrode for generating an output signal in response to an input stimulus imposed on said movable element; an electrostatic force feedback circuit interposed between said sense circuit and said at least one force feedback electrode for controlling a feedback voltage applied to said at least one force feedback electrode based on said output signal; a detection circuit in electrical communication with said sense circuit, said detection circuit being configured to detect a stiction condition of said movable element in response to said output signal; and a multiplexor circuit in communication with said at least one electrode, said at least one force feedback electrode, and said movable element, said multiplexor circuit setting said at least one electrode, said at least one force feedback electrode, and said movable element to an equivalent voltage potential to effectively remove said spring softening voltage in response to said stiction condition. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification