Search

Previous work has shown that optomechanical resonators are particularly well suited to the design of ultrasensitive mass sensors. They present an extremely low noise level, very high optical quality factor (Q > 105), excellent integration density and can resonate both in a gaseous and liquid environment. In order to reduce the long measurement time due to their small particle-capture area, several such resonators must be integrated onto the same chip. However, bulky laboratory equipment currently used to read a single optomechanical resonator cannot be practically scaled up to a large array of transducers. It is then required to design and eventually integrate a read-out interface that can process tens to thousands of resonators. To ease the design of such a circuit, this article presents a compact analytical model of an electrostatically actuated optomechanical resonator implemented in Verilog A. The proposed model includes both the optical and mechanical behaviors, as well as optomechanical coupling and thermo-optical effect. It was simulated in the Cadence Virtuoso environment and is consistent with the measured results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, electronics face a challenge regarding the power consumption of integrated circuits (ICs). There is a need for new devices that can provide improved switching capabilities. The downscaled electrostatically actuated ohmic switch, as a (re)emerging device, is a promising candidate to meet this need. To bring such a device seamlessly into IC design, it must be accompanied by an accurate, fast and robust analytical compact model. The development and the main characteristics of such a model are described within this paper. Extensive numerical simulations and measurements have been used to validate the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonvolatile memory (NVM) devices based on storage layers, p-n junctions and transistors, such as FLASH, suffer from poor retention at high temperature, high voltage writing, and wear out while cycling. This paper presents the structure, operation, and modeling of a nanoelectromechanical NVM based on the switching of a free electrode between two stable states. This electrode, called the shuttle, has no mechanical anchors and commutes between two positions. It is guided inside an insulator pod. Adhesion forces between the shuttle and fixed electrodes serve to hold the shuttle in stable positions. Smooth metal layers give strong Van der Waals stiction between two surfaces in contact. Memory detection is obtained by probing the conductance between two fixed contacts; the shuttle serves as a switchable open/short electrode. Electromechanical contacts have an ideally large resistance ratio between on and off levels. At microscale, gravity is found to be negligible compared with adhesion forces, which motivates the anchorless design for high-temperature data storage. The model proposed is based on charge induction over the surface of metal electrodes and is validated by finite-element method. Kinematic equations and energy transfers of the shuttle device are explored. Due to its unique anchorless design, the scalability of the anchorless shuttle memory is found to be excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new variable inductor with electrostatic actuators was proposed and was fabricated using surface micromachining microelectromechancal systems (MEMS) technology. The variable inductor consists mainly of planar spiral inductor, the shielding metal plate above the spiral inductor, and the electrostatic-driven capacitive actuators. In order to enhance the tuning range of the variable inductor, the shielding metal plate has adopted electroplated \Ni80\Fe20 Permalloy as the “magnetic core” of the variable inductor. The fabricated variable microinductor was tested and characterized. The measured results indicated that the variable inductor had good performance at high frequency and the tuning range of the variable inductor was 77.8%. The effect of \Ni80\Fe20 Permalloy metal plate on the inductance of variable inductor was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]