MEMS oscillator drive
AssigneeCornell Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsKeith Aubin, Bojan (Rob) Ilic, Maxim Zalalutdinov, Robert B. Reichenbach, Jeevak M. Parpia, Harold G. Craighead
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Abstract
The temperature of a remote portion of device having a microelectromechanical oscillator is modulated to create oscillation of the oscillators. In one embodiment, a localized heat source is placed on a device layer of a multilayered stack, consisting of device, sacrificial and substrate layers. The localized heat source may be a laser beam in one embodiment. The oscillator is supported by the device layer and may be formed in the device layer in various embodiments. The oscillator may be spaced apart from the localized heat source.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- modulating temperature of a portion of a device having a microelectromechanical oscillator formed from a device layer supported by a support layer;
- and
- wherein temperature modulation creates oscillation of the oscillator;
- and
- wherein the oscillator is spaced apart from the portion of the device having its temperature modulated.
A device comprising:
- a device layer;
- a second layer coupled to the device layer;
- a heat source thermally coupled to a remote portion of the device layer;
- and
- a resonator physically coupled to the device layer such that heating of the remote portion of the device layer causes movement of the resonator;
- and
- wherein the heat source comprises a heat modulated area of the device layer spaced apart from the resonator.
A device comprising:
- a device layer supported by substrate, and having an oscillator;
- means for heating a portion of the device layer remote from the oscillator;
- and
- means for creating thermal stress to oscillate the oscillator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.