Clark T.-C. Nguyen (Advisor)

The high fracture strength of polydiamond has enableda 167-MHz polydiamond disk resonator with a self-aligned polysilicon stem anchor to attain a velocity of 83 m/s, which is 56 times larger than the typical ~1.5 m/s [1] velocity employed by MEMS based sensors, such as gyroscopes. The key to this performance is the use of hot-filament chemical vapor deposited (HFCVD) diamond structural material with a fracture strength from 50-120 GPa [2] many times larger than the ~2.6 GPa average of polysilicon [3]. The resonator design herein further concentrates energy in the diamond resonator...

This project seeks to characterize and de-mystify mechanisms behind long-term drift in MEMS-based oscillators, including ones employing various sustaining amplifiers and referenced to resonators constructed in a variety of materials, including silicon, polysilicon, AlN, diamond, and ruthenium. A measurement apparatus that suppresses unwanted sources of drift, e.g., temperature, to better focus on resonator and oscillator long-term drift will be instrumental to success and will likely entail the use of double or triple ovens, as well as environment resistant circuit design.

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This project aims to develop flexible inert-environment packaging for nearly any resonant MEMS device to allow evaluation in practical real-world systems.

Project is currently funded by: Federal

This project aims to demonstrate superior aging-resistance for micromechanical resonators via methods that remove or immobilize defects and other non-idealities towards a lower material energy state. One such method to be explored is localized annealing, whereby fast, high-temperature Joule heating at the micron scale provides a method for tailoring the morphology of a resonator's structural material.

Project is currently funded by: Federal