Sitime Corporation

Carl Arft

Aaron Partridge

Paul Merritt Hagelin

Markus Lutz

Charles I Grosjean

Kamran Souri

Yushu Ma

Sassan Tabatabaei Zavareh

Li Ko Chiu

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device is provided with partitioning for thermal management. In one illustrative embodiment, the device may include: a heated section including a first die and a second die, wherein: the first die includes a heater, and the second die is coupled to the first die and includes a temperature sensor and a MEMS resonator; and a non-heated section communicatively coupled to the heated section and including a third die. The third die may receive a first signal associated with the temperature sensor and provides a second signal to the first die associated with the heater based on the first signal.

Microelectromechanical system oven-controlled oscillator

One or more heating elements are provided to heat a MEMS component (such as a resonator) to a temperature higher than an ambient temperature range in which the MEMS component is intended to operate—in effect, heating the MEMS component and optionally related circuitry to a steady-state 'oven' temperature above that which would occur naturally during component operation and thereby avoiding temperature-dependent performance variance/instability (frequency, voltage, propagation delay, etc.). In a number of embodiments, an IC package is implemented with distinct temperature-isolated and temperature-interfaced regions, the former bearing or housing the MEMS component and subject to heating (i.e., to oven temperature) by the one or more heating elements while the latter is provided with (e.g., disposed adjacent) one or more heat dissipation paths to discharge heat generated by transistor circuitry (i.e., expel heat from the integrated circuit package).

Ovenized MEMS

A micromachined apparatus includes micromachined thermistor having first and second ends physically and thermally coupled to a substrate via first and second anchor structures to enable a temperature-dependent resistance of the micromachined thermistor to vary according to a time-varying temperature of the substrate. The micromachined thermistor has a length, from the first end to the second end, greater than a linear distance between the first and second anchor structures.

Micromachined thermistor

One or more heating elements are provided to heat a MEMS component (such as a resonator) to a temperature higher than an ambient temperature range in which the MEMS component is intended to operate&#x2014;in effect, heating the MEMS component and optionally related circuitry to a steady-state 'oven' temperature above that which would occur naturally during component operation and thereby avoiding temperature-dependent performance variance/instability (frequency, voltage, propagation delay, etc.). In a number of embodiments, an IC package is implemented with distinct temperature-isolated and temperature-interfaced regions, the former bearing or housing the MEMS component and subject to heating (i.e., to oven temperature) by the one or more heating elements while the latter is provided with (e.g., disposed adjacent) one or more heat dissipation paths to discharge heat generated by transistor circuitry (i.e., expel heat from the integrated circuit package).

MEMS device with micromachined thermistor

The present inventions, in one aspect, are directed to a temperature sensing apparatus comprising a micromachined thermistor configured to output voltage and/or current signals which are/is correlated to an ambient temperature. The micromachined thermistor includes a micromachined thermistor structure suspended over and released from the substrate, wherein the micromachined thermistor structure includes a temperature dependent characteristic (e.g., resistance to an electrical current), and electrical contacts connected to the micromachined thermistor structure, wherein the electrical contacts are adapted to conduct the voltage and/or current signals. The apparatus, in one aspect, includes measurement circuitry, to generate data which is representative of the ambient temperature using the electrical resistance of the micromachined thermistor structure.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Carl Arft