Cornell University

Purdue Research Foundation

Analog Devices,inc.

Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization

University of California

Cornell Research Foundation Inc.

Analog Devices Global Unlimited Company

Sunil Ashok Bhave

Eugene Oh Hwang

Rajit Manohar

Stephen Longfield

Dana Weinstein

Pen-Li Yu

Benjamin Tang

Roger T Howe

Thomas Kieran Nunan

Suresh Sridaran

David Neil Hutchison

Siddharth Tallur

Hengky Chandrahalim

Lih Feng Cheow

Renyuan Wang

A piezoelectric structure is disclosed which includes a single crystal having piezoelectric coefficients dand dof opposite magnitude, such that when an alternating electric field is applied in the Z direction, the piezoelectric structure expands in one of the X and Y directions and contracts in the other of the X and Y direction, a first electrode coupled to the single crystal, and a second electrode coupled to the single crystal, wherein the alternating electric field is input to the single crystal through the first and second electrodes.

In-plane and out-of-plane disk resonator

A sensor for measuring rate of rotation is disclosed which includes a disk resonator, an anchor coupled to the disk resonator and further coupled to a substrate, and an optical waveguide wrapping around at least a portion of the perimeter of the disk resonator, the optical waveguide having an input end and an output end, wherein the disk resonator is configured to expand radially when subject to a rotational input, and wherein said radial expansion is adapted to cause a change in an optical signal passing through the optical waveguide.

MEMS rotation rate sensor

Asynchronous Global Positioning System (GPS) baseband processor architectures with a focus on minimizing power consumption. All subsystems run at their natural frequency without clocking and all signal processing is done on-the-fly.

Low power asynchronous GPS baseband processor

A BAW gyroscope is configured to operate with two pairs of orthogonal modes instead of a single pair in order to mitigate the impact of changes in gaps (e.g., introduced from external stresses such as thermal gradients, external shocks, mechanical stress/torque, etc.). Specifically, the BAW gyroscope resonator is configured to be simultaneously driven to resonate with a two disparate resonant modes (referred to herein as the 'fundamental' mode and the 'compound' mode), with the same set of drive electrodes used to drive both resonant modes (i.e., all of the drive electrodes are used to drive the two drive modes). When the sensor experiences external rotation, energy couples from the driven modes of vibration to two corresponding orthogonal sense modes via the Coriolis force. The same set of sense electrodes is used to sense both sense modes (i.e., all of the sense electrodes are used to sense the two sense modes). The fundamental mode is differential with respect to the electrodes, while the compound mode is seen as common-mode with respect to the electrodes. Thus, differential gap change will impact offset of rate measured with the fundamental mode only, while common-mode gap change will impact offset of rate measured with the compound mode only.

Dual mode gyroscope

One-axis and two-axis vibratory gyroscopes include a unitary resonator structure conceptually having four beams interconnected in a cross-hatch configuration. While each beam can be considered a unitary piece of material, each beam's attachment to two cross beams conceptually divides the resonant beam into a central section between the attachment points and two tail sections aft of the attachment points. The attachment points are preferably nodal points of the beam with respect to both a drive mode shape and a sense mode shape of the beam for the resonant mode in which the resonator is configured to operate. Thus, the location where two beams intersect is preferably a nodal point for both beams. The tail sections of each beam allow the resonant mode of the resonator to be carefully configured.

Micromachined cross-hatch vibratory gyroscopes

A single photo mask can be used to define the three critical layers for the piezoelectric MEMS device, specifically the top electrode layer, the piezoelectric material layer, and the bottom electrode layer. Using a single photo mask removes the misalignment source caused by using multiple photo masks. Furthermore, in certain exemplary embodiments, all electrical interconnects use underpass interconnect. This simplifies the process for defining the device electrodes and the process sequence for achieving self-alignment between the piezoelectric element and the top and bottom electrodes. This self-alignment is achieved by using an oxide hard mask to etch the critical region of the top electrode, the piezoelectric material, and the bottom electrode with one mask and different etch chemistries depending on the layer being etched.

Method of fabricating piezoelectric MEMS devices

Gyroscopes based on optomechanical designs to provide sensitive sensing while providing relatively large bandwidth and dynamic range with enhanced noise performance.

Gyroscopes based on optomechanical sensing

Methods, structures, devices and systems are disclosed for implementing optomechanical sensors in various configurations by using two optically coupled optical resonators or cavities that can be move or deform relative to each other. The optical coupling between first and second optical cavities to produce an optical resonance that varies with a spacing between the first and second optical cavities and provide the basis for the optomechanical sensing. Compact and integrated optomechanical sensors can be constructed to provide sensitive measurements for a range of applications, including motion sensing and other sensing applications.

Optomechanical sensors based on coupling between two optical cavities

An electro-optic structure, which may comprise an acousto-optic modulator for use in an opto-acoustic oscillator, comprises a plurality of rigidly connected resonator core components located movably separated over a substrate and anchored to the substrate at an anchor point. An actuator electrode is located separated from a first one of the rigidly connected resonator core components and an optical waveguide is located separated from a second one of the rigidly connected resonator core components. Radio frequency and direct current actuation of the actuator electrode provides a mechanical vibration in the first rigidly connected resonator core component that is mechanically coupled to the second rigidly connected resonator core component which serves to optically modulate light transported through the wave guide. Reverse operation is also contemplated. Embodiments also contemplate a third rigidly connected resonator core component as a radiation pressure driven detector. Further contemplated are related fabrication and operation methods.

Silicon acousto-optic modulator structure and method

A radio frequency microelectromechanical (RF MEMS) device can comprise an actuation p-n junction and a sensing p-n junction formed within a semiconductor substrate. The RF MEMS device can be configured to operate in a mode in which an excitation voltage is applied across the actuation p-n junction varying a non-mobile charge within the actuation p-n junction to modulate an electric field acting upon dopant ions and creating electrostatic forces. The electrostatic forces can create a mechanical motion within the actuation p-n junction. The mechanical motion can modulate a depletion capacitance of the sensing p-n junction, thereby creating a motional current. At least one of the p-n junctions can be located at an optimal location to maximize the efficiency of the RF MEMS device at high resonant frequencies.

Method of actuating an internally transduced pn-diode-based ultra high frequency micromechanical resonator

A resonator body has an inversion gate, an accumulation gate, and a center region. The resonator body also has a source contact coupled to the center region and a drain contact coupled to the center region. The resonator body further has a first dielectric layer coupled between the inversion gate and the center region. The resonator body also has a second dielectric layer coupled between the accumulation gate and the center region. A resonant body transistor is also disclosed. The resonant body transistor has an inversion gate electrode, an accumulation gate electrode, a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a plurality of anchor beams. The resonant body transistor also has a resonator body coupled-to and suspended-from the inversion gate electrode, the accumulation gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode by the plurality of anchor beams. A resonant body oscillator is also disclosed.

Resonant body transistor and oscillator

A digitally-tunable RF MEMS filter includes a substrate and a plurality of mechanically coupled resonators, wherein a first and a last resonator of the plurality of mechanically coupled resonators are configured to be electrostatically transduced. One or more of the plurality of mechanically coupled resonators are configured to be biased relative to the substrate such that the one or more biased resonators may be brought substantially in contact with the substrate. In a method of digitally tuning an RF MEMS filter having a mechanically coupled resonator array, a DC bias voltage is applied to at least a first resonator and a last resonator of the mechanically coupled resonator array such that motional boundary conditions for the at least first resonator and last resonator are selectable in proportion to the DC bias voltage.

Digitally programmable RF MEMS filters with mechanically coupled resonators

A tunable MEMS filter is disclosed, having a substrate with first and second isolated substrate areas. First and second anchor points are coupled to the substrate. A base is coupled to the first and second anchor points by first and second coupling beams, respectively. A dielectric layer is coupled to the base. An input conductor is coupled to the at least one dielectric layer. An output conductor is coupled to the at least one dielectric layer. A method of tuning a center frequency and a bandwidth of a MEMS resonator filter is also disclosed. A first bias voltage is adjusted between a base layer and input and output conductor layers. A second bias voltage is adjusted between the base layer and isolated substrate areas. The center frequency and the bandwidth are determined until the adjustments to the bias voltages provide a desired center frequency and a desired bandwidth.

Growing community of inventors

Ithaca, NY, United States of America

Sunil Ashok Bhave