Micro-resonator having lid-integrated electrode

• US 9,991,868 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Hung, Perahia, Raviv, Huang, Lian X., Iyer, Srikanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salazar, Jr., Jorge
• Application Number:
  US14/686,567
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 333186, 257415
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/094 Feed-through, via
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5691 of essentially three-dimensional vibrators, e.g. wine glass-type vibrators
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/0072 of microelectro-mechanical resonators or networks micromembranes or microbeams B81B2203/01; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02259 Driving or detection means
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2405 of microelectro-mechanical resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2426 in combination with other electronic elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2463 Clamped-clamped beam resonators

Abstract

A micro-resonator employs a lid-integrated electrode to one or more of drive, sense and tune a vibrational resonant mode of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator. The micro-resonator includes a lid attached to a base that provides a resonator cavity. The micro-resonator further includes the MEMS resonator extending from a surface of the base toward the lid within the resonator cavity. The lid-integrated electrode extends vertically from the lid into the resonator cavity toward the base. The vertically extending, lid-integrated electrode is positioned spaced from and adjacent to a side of the MEMS resonator to one or more of drive, sense and tune mechanical movement of the MEMS resonator.

Claims

1. A micro-resonator having a lid-integrated electrode comprising:

a resonator base;

a resonator lid attached to the resonator base to provide an enclosed resonator cavity;

a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator supported by and extending from a surface of the resonator base toward the resonator lid within the resonator cavity; and

an electrode integrated into the resonator lid, the lid-integrated electrode extending vertically from a surface of the resonator lid into the resonator cavity toward the resonator base and spaced from a sidewall of the resonator cavity,

wherein the lid-integrated electrode is positioned adjacent to and spaced from a vertical side of the MEMS resonator, the lid-integrated electrode being configured to one or more of drive, sense and tune a mechanical movement of the MEMS resonator.

2. The micro-resonator of claim 1, wherein the MEMS resonator comprises a micro-shell resonator having an open end opposite an end supported by the resonator base, the vertical side of the MEMS resonator being one of an exterior side and an interior side adjacent the open end of the micro-shell resonator.

3. The micro-resonator of claim 2, further comprising another electrode integrated into the lid, the other lid-integrated electrode vertically extending from the lid surface into the resonator cavity toward the resonator base, the other lid-integrated electrode being positioned adjacent to and spaced from the vertical side of the micro-shell resonator opposite the lid-integrated electrode, wherein the lid-integrated electrodes form an inner-outer electrode pair configured to one or both of drive and sense the MEMS resonator movement in a push-pull relationship.

4. The micro-resonator of claim 2, wherein the micro-shell resonator comprises a dielectric micro-shell resonator having a shape that is substantially cylindrical.

5. The micro-resonator of claim 1, wherein the lid-integrated electrode is an electric gradient force electrode configured to provide an electric gradient to drive the MEMS resonator using dielectric forces.

6. The micro-resonator of claim 1, further comprising a spacer having a seal ring between the resonator lid and the resonator base, wherein the resonator cavity is configured to be hermetically sealed at an interface between the spacer seal ring and one or both of the resonator lid and the resonator base.

7. The micro-resonator of claim 6, wherein the hermetically sealed resonator cavity is configured to provide vacuum encapsulation of the MEMS resonator to facilitate the mechanical movement associated with a resonance mode of the MEMS resonator.

8. The micro-resonator of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical alignment system integral to and configured to provide active mechanical alignment between the resonator base and the resonator lid, wherein the active mechanical alignment is configured to establish and maintain the spaced from adjacent position of the lid-integrated electrode with respect to the vertical side of the MEMS resonator.

9. The micro-resonator of claim 8, wherein the integral mechanical alignment system comprises an alignment key on a pre-loaded beam integral with one of the resonator base and the resonator lid and a corresponding alignment notch integral with a respective other of the resonator base and the resonator lid, the pre-loaded beam having an out-of-plane flex relative to a plane of the resonator lid or the resonator base to facilitate engagement of the alignment key with the alignment notch, the active mechanical alignment between the resonator base and the resonator lid comprising both the engagement of the alignment key with the alignment notch and the pre-loaded beam flexed into the plane of the resonator base.

10. A micro-shell resonator system comprising:

a micro-shell resonator affixed to a substrate within a resonator cavity, the micro-shell resonator being configured to exhibit a vibrational resonant mode; and

an electrode integral to and extending vertically from a lid into the resonator cavity adjacent to and spaced from a sidewall of the micro-shell resonator, wherein the lid-integrated electrode is configured to one or more of drive, sense and tune the vibrational resonant mode of the micro-shell resonator.

11. The micro-shell resonator system of claim 10, wherein the lid-integrated electrode comprises both an outer electrode exterior to the micro-shell resonator sidewall and an opposing inner electrode positioned interior to the micro-shell resonator sidewall, in combination the outer and inner electrodes are configured to one or both of drive and sense the vibrational resonant mode in a push-pull arrangement.

12. The micro-shell resonator system of claim 11, further comprising a power supply configured to provide a drive voltage to the outer and inner electrodes, the push-pull arrangement comprising a phase of the drive voltage provided to the inner electrode being about ninety degrees out of phase with the drive voltage provided to the outer electrode.

13. The micro-shell resonator system of claim 10, wherein the micro-shell resonator comprises a dielectric micro-shell resonator, the lid-integrated electrode being configured to one or both of drive and sense the vibrational resonant mode using an electric gradient force.

14. The micro-shell resonator system of claim 10, further comprising a spacer between the lid and the substrate, the spacer having a bonding layer to provide a seal between the spacer and one or both of the lid and the substrate, wherein the seal facilitates maintaining a vacuum within the resonator cavity.

15. The micro-shell resonator system of claim 10, wherein the micro-shell resonator comprise a dielectric cylinder having a closed first end and an open second end, the micro-shell resonator being attached to the resonator base at the closed end, the lid-integrated electrode extending into an interior of the micro-shell resonator at the open end.

16. The micro-shell resonator system of claim 10, further comprising a mechanical alignment system integral to the substrate and the lid, the integral mechanical alignment system being configured to establish the sidewall-adjacent position of the lid-integrated electrode with respect to micro-shell resonator.

17. The micro-shell resonator system of claim 16, wherein the integral mechanical alignment system comprises an alignment key on a pre-loaded beam integral with one of the substrate and the lid and a corresponding alignment notch integral with a respective other of the substrate and the lid, the pre-loaded beam having an out-of-plane flex relative to a plane of one or both of the substrate and the lid, wherein the alignment key is engaged with the alignment notch and the pre-loaded beam has a substantially parallel flex to the plane of one or both of the substrate and the lid.

18. A method of micro-resonator manufacturing, the method comprising:

providing a resonator base having a micro-shell resonator that extends from a surface of the resonator base;

providing a resonator lid having electrodes integral with and extending vertically from a surface of the resonator lid;

positioning the resonator lid with the resonator base to have the surface of the resonator lid facing the surface of the resonator base; and

affixing together the positioned resonator lid and resonator base to enclose the micro-shell resonator in a resonator cavity formed by the resonator lid and base.

19. The method of micro-resonator manufacturing of claim 18, wherein the micro-shell resonator comprises a dielectric cylinder having a closed end adjacent to the resonator base surface and an opposite open end, and wherein the lid-integrated electrodes comprise an outer electrode and an inner electrode with respect to the exterior and interior sides of the micro-shell resonator, the lid-integrated electrodes being configured to perform one or both of driving and sensing the micro-shell resonator according to an electric gradient force.

20. The method of micro-resonator manufacturing of claim 18, wherein affixing together the positioned resonator lid and resonator base comprises forming a hermetic seal to support vacuum encapsulation of the micro-shell resonator within the resonator cavity.

21. The method of micro-resonator fabrication of claim 18, further comprising:

engaging an integral mechanical alignment system to align together the positioned resonator lid and resonator base before affixing together, wherein aligning together comprises positioning the lid-integrated electrodes spaced from and adjacent to one or both of an exterior side of the micro-shell resonator and an interior side of the micro-shell resonator.

22. The method of micro-resonator fabrication of claim 21, wherein the integral mechanical alignment system comprises an alignment key on a pre-loaded beam integral with one of the resonator base and the resonator lid and a corresponding alignment notch integral with a respective other of the resonator base and the resonator lid, the pre-loaded beam having an out-of-plane flex relative to a plane of one or both the resonator lid and the resonator base, and wherein engaging the integral mechanical alignment system comprises:

using the out-of-plane flex of the pre-loaded beam to engage the alignment key in the alignment notch to align together the resonator lid and base; and

flexing the pre-loaded beam into the plane of the resonator lid or base to facilitate the positioning of the lid-integrated electrodes relative to the micro-shell resonator.