Oscillator apparatus
AssigneeNokia Corporation
InventorsRichard White, Jani Kivoja
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus including a resonator electrode and a second electrode separated from the resonator electrode by a gap having a size that facilitates electron transfer across the gap, wherein the resonator electrode is a resonator electrode mounted for oscillatory motion relative to the second electrode that results in a size of the gap between the resonator electrode and the second electrode being time variable; a feedback circuit configured to convey an electron transfer signal dependent upon electron transfer across the gap as a feedback signal; and a drive electrode adjacent the resonator electrode configured to receive a feedback signal from a feedback circuit configured to provide a time-varying feedback signal dependent upon electron transfer across a gap.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of oscillators, comprising:
- one resonator electrode for each oscillator, each resonator electrode being separated from one of one or more additional electrodes by a gap having a size configured to facilitate electron transfer across the gap, wherein each of the resonator electrodes is mounted for oscillatory motion relative to the one of the one or more additional electrodes such that a size of the gap between the resonator electrode and the one of the one or more additional electrodes is time variable;
- one or more drive electrodes, each of the one or more drive electrodes being configured to drive one or more of the resonator electrodes;
- a feedback circuit configured to convey an electron transfer signal dependent upon electron transfer across the gap as a feedback signal;
- wherein
- each of the one or more resonator electrodes is coupled to one of the one or more drive electrodes each of the one or more drive electrodes being configured to receive the feedback signal from the feedback circuit, at least one of the one or more drive electrodes being a common drive electrode to which two or more of the resonator electrodes are coupled.
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of oscillators, the plurality of oscillators comprising:
- one resonator electrode for each oscillator, with each of the resonator electrodes being separated from one of one or more additional electrodes by a gap having a size configured to facilitate electron transfer across the gap, wherein the resonator electrode is mounted for oscillatory motion relative to the one of one or more additional electrodes such that a size of the gap between the resonator electrode and the additional electrode is time variable;
- and
- a feedback circuit configured to convey an electron transfer signal dependent upon electron transfer across the gap as a feedback signal;
- one or more drive electrodes, for driving the resonator electrode;
- a control mechanism configured to combine feedback signals of a selected plurality of oscillators to produce a combined feedback signal for one or more of the drive electrodes;
- and wherein
- each of the resonator electrodes is coupled to one of the one or more drive electrodes, and wherein each of the one or more drive electrodes is configured to receive the feedback signal from the feedback circuit.
A method comprising:
- conveying an oscillatory electron transfer current that is dependent upon electron transfer across a gap between each of a plurality of resonator electrodes and one of one or more additional electrodes;
- and
- driving each of the resonator electrodes using one of one or more drive electrodes, each of the one or more drive electrodes being configured to receive a feedback signal from a feedback circuit that is configured to provide a feedback signal dependent upon the electron transfer across the gap, at least one of the one or more drive electrodes being a common drive electrode to which two or more of the resonator electrodes are coupled.
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of oscillators, wherein each of the oscillators comprises:
- a resonator electrode and a second electrode separated from the resonator electrode by a gap having a size configured to facilitate electron transfer across the gap, wherein the resonator electrode is mounted for oscillatory motion relative to the second electrode such that a size of the gap between the resonator electrode and the second electrode is time variable;
- a feedback circuit configured to convey an electron transfer signal dependent upon electron transfer across the gap as a feedback signal;
- and
- a first common drive electrode, shared between the resonators, disposed to drive each of the resonator electrodes, wherein the common drive electrode is configured to receive the feedback signal from the feedback circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.