Methods and apparatus for mechanical resonating structures

• US 8,736,150 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sand 9, Inc. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuypers, Jan H., Chen, David M., Zolfagharkhani, Guiti, Gaidarzhy, Alexei
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, THOMAS M
• Application Number:
  US13/367,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20130200752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 310/345, 310/348, 310/368
• US Class Current: 310/345
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02251 Design
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/241 Bulk-mode MEMS resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02259 Driving or detection means
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2463 Clamped-clamped beam resonators

Abstract

Mechanical resonating structures and related methods are described. The mechanical resonating structures may provide improved efficiency over conventional resonating structures. Some of the structures have lengths and widths and are designed to vibrate in a direction approximately parallel to either the length or width. They may have boundaries bounding the length and width dimensions, which may substantially align with nodes or anti-nodes of vibration.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a mechanical resonating structure having a periphery lying substantially within a first plane, the periphery formed of one or more sides and/or ends, wherein each of the one or more sides and/or ends substantially aligns with either a node or anti-node of vibration of a resonance mode of the mechanical resonating structure; and

an anchor,

wherein the one or more sides and/or ends include a side and an end, wherein a dimension of the side is greater than a dimension of the end, and wherein at least a portion of the side is incident on the anchor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the mechanical resonating structure comprises a piezoelectric material.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the mechanical resonating structure is configured to support plate acoustic modes of vibration.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the mechanical resonating structure has a resonance frequency between approximately 100 MHz and 150 MHz.

5. A device comprising:

a substantially planar mechanical resonating structure having a length bounded by two ends and a width bounded by two sides,

wherein the mechanical resonating structure is configured to exhibit a primary mode of vibration in a first direction approximately parallel to the length, and a secondary mode of vibration in a second direction approximately parallel to the width, and

wherein at least one of the two ends substantially aligns with an anti-node of the primary mode of vibration, and at least one of the two sides substantially aligns with a node of the secondary mode of vibration.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein a first of the two ends substantially aligns with a first anti-node of the primary mode of vibration, and wherein a second of the two ends substantially aligns with a second anti-node of the primary mode of vibration.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein a first of the two sides substantially aligns with a first node of the secondary mode of vibration, and wherein a second of the two sides substantially aligns with a second node of the secondary mode of vibration.

8. The device of claim 5, further comprising two or more anchors, wherein a first of the two or more anchors is incident on at least a portion of a first of the two sides, and wherein a second of the two or more anchors is incident on at least a portion of a second of the two sides.

9. The device of claim 8, further comprising a silicon substrate, wherein the two or more anchors connect the mechanical resonating structure to the silicon substrate.