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US 8,878,633 B1Granted
Vertical differential resonator
AssigneeMicrel, Inc.
InventorsWan-Thai Hsu, Guohong He, John Ryan Clark
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A micromechanical device includes a substrate, a micromechanical structure supported by the substrate and configured for overtone resonant vibration relative to the substrate, and a plurality of electrodes supported by the substrate and spaced from the micromechanical structure by respective gaps. The plurality of electrodes include multiple drive electrodes configured relative to the micromechanical structure to excite the overtone resonant vibration with a differential excitation signal, or multiple sense electrodes configured relative to the micromechanical structure to generate a differential output from the overtone resonant vibration.
Claims23
A micromechanical device comprising:
- a substrate;
- a micromechanical structure supported by the substrate and configured for overtone resonant vibration relative to the substrate;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes supported by the substrate and spaced from the micromechanical structure by respective gaps;
- wherein the plurality of electrodes comprise:
- multiple drive electrodes configured relative to the micromechanical structure to excite the overtone resonant vibration with a differential excitation signal;
- or
- multiple sense electrodes configured relative to the micromechanical structure to generate a differential output from the overtone resonant vibration;
- wherein the overtone resonant vibration is at an overtone resonant frequency for the 15th overtone of a fundamental resonant frequency of the micromechanical structure.
6 more elements
A micromechanical device comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of support structures anchored to the substrate;
- a micromechanical structure supported by the substrate via the plurality of support structures and configured for overtone resonant vibration relative to the substrate, the overtone resonant vibration having a set of nodal points along the micromechanical structure;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes spaced from the micromechanical structure by respective gaps, the plurality of electrodes comprising multiple drive electrodes configured to excite the overtone resonant vibration with a differential excitation signal, and further comprising multiple sense electrodes configured to generate a differential output from the overtone resonant vibration;
- wherein each support structure of the plurality of support structures is disposed at a respective nodal point of the set of nodal points,
- wherein the micromechanical structure is not supported at each nodal point of the set of nodal points by a respective one of the plurality of support structures, and
- wherein the overtone resonant vibration includes vibration in a direction transverse to the substrate.
5 more elements
A micromechanical device, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of support structures anchored to the substrate;
- a micromechanical structure supported by the substrate via the plurality of support structures and configured for overtone resonant vibration relative to the substrate, the overtone resonant vibration having a set of nodal points along the micromechanical structure;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes spaced from the micromechanical structure by respective gaps, the plurality of electrodes comprising multiple drive electrodes configured to excite the overtone resonant vibration with a differential excitation signal, and further comprising multiple sense electrodes configured to generate a differential output from the overtone resonant vibration;
- wherein each support structure of the plurality of support structures is disposed at a respective nodal point of the set of nodal points,
- wherein the micromechanical structure is not supported at each nodal point of the set of nodal points by a respective one of the plurality of support structures,
- wherein the plurality of support structures are disposed in a symmetrical arrangement along the micromechanical structure, and
- wherein the symmetrical arrangement divides the set of nodal points into an equal number of supported and unsupported nodal points.
6 more elements
A micromechanical device, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of support structures anchored to the substrate;
- a micromechanical structure supported by the substrate via the plurality of support structures and configured for overtone resonant vibration relative to the substrate, the overtone resonant vibration having a set of nodal points along the micromechanical structure;
- and
- plurality of electrodes spaced from the micromechanical structure by respective gaps, the plurality of electrodes comprising multiple drive electrodes configured to excite the overtone resonant vibration with a differential excitation signal, and further comprising multiple sense electrodes configured to generate a differential output from the overtone resonant vibration;
- wherein each support structure of the plurality of support structures is disposed at a respective nodal point of the set of nodal points,
- wherein the micromechanical structure is not supported at each nodal point of the set of nodal points by a respective one of the plurality of support structures
- wherein the micromechanical structure includes a beam configured for the overtone resonant vibration and spaced from the plurality of electrodes by the respective gaps, and
- wherein the beam has a curved shape oriented in parallel with the substrate.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.