A Novel Sigma- DeltaPulsed Digital Oscillator (PDO) for MEMS

A novel digital oscillator topology for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based on bandpass sigma-delta modulation is presented. Short pulses of force of the same amplitude maintain the oscillation and the associated bit-stream output serves to know the oscillation frequency which, for low mecha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inIEEE sensors journal Vol. 5; no. 6; pp. 1379 - 1388
Main Authors Dominguez, M., Pons-Nin, J., Ricart, J., Bermejo, A., FiguerasCosta, E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 01.12.2005
Subjects
Damping
Digital modulation
Frequency
Microelectromechanical systems
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
Micromechanical devices
oscillator
Oscillators
Sampling methods
sigma-delta
Steady-state
Thermoelectricity
Topology
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:A novel digital oscillator topology for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based on bandpass sigma-delta modulation is presented. Short pulses of force of the same amplitude maintain the oscillation and the associated bit-stream output serves to know the oscillation frequency which, for low mechanical losses, is very close to the natural frequency of the MEMS resonator. Position-sensing requirements are extremely simplified because, at each sampling time, it is only necessary to know whether the resonator position is above or below the steady-state position. Continuous-time simulations are presented showing the behavior of the oscillator for different sampling frequencies and mechanical damping losses. Experimental results from an oscillator using a MEMS resonator with thermoelectric actuation and piezoresitive position sensing are presented. It is concluded that the quality of the oscillator response depends on the resonator damping losses and on the sampling frequency. The experimental results agree with the analytical and simulation results.
ISSN:1530-437X
1558-1748
DOI:10.1109/JSEN.2005.855601