Due to their small size, micro-sensors experience complex phenomena including the emergence of nonlinearities, affecting the intrinsic properties of the system and commonly known to reduce its performance. In the case of micro-resonators, while larger displacement typically leads to lower SNR, it also increases the nonlinearity of the system, altering both frequencies and quality factors which in turn decrease stability and thus performance. However, a careful control of these nonlinearities opens the way for new implementation schemes and improved stability in micro-sensors, such as phase fluctuations reduction, frequency control and in-situ amplification schemes. This project involves both experimental and theoretical approaches to study the benefits of nonlinearity for micro-oscillators applications, including frequency- reference, sensing, and energy transfer.
Project end date: 01/05/17