FEA-Assisted Analysis and Gain Optimization of a Micromechanical Resonant Displacement Amplifier

Abstract: 

Micromechanical resonant switches have the potential to greatly outperform currently dominant semiconductor switches due to their higher figures of merit. Of the current designs available, resonant MEMS switches are among the most promising, as they can achieve very large amplitudes at resonance with greatly reduced actuation voltages compared to more conventional MEMS switches, such as those that rely on pull-in based actuation.

Such resonant micromechanical devices are currently in their infancy, and require additional optimization and analysis to resolve their unique issues and become useful in commercial applications. In this study, finite element analysis and SPICE circuit simulation have identified the potential for optimal displacement amplification through the variation of coupling beam length for a recently proposed displacement amplifier topology. Through the simulation of several disk-based displacement amplifier designs, an optimal configuration was found that may achieve use in power converters and switch based amplifiers of the future.

Publication date: 
December 13, 2017
Publication type: 
Master's Thesis
Citation: 
Melnikov, G. (2017). FEA-Assisted Analysis and Gain Optimization of a Micromechanical Resonant Displacement Amplifier. United States: University of California, Berkeley.

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