A novel sensing concept utilizing targeted, complex, nonlinear MEMS dynamics

Abstract

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>We present a case study of an active micro-electromechanical system (MEMS). The MEMS cantilever has integrated actuation and sensor mechanisms, which enable the active operation of the system. Our analysis is comprised of numerical continuation of equilibria and periodic orbits, which are briefly compared and discussed with initial experimental observations. In this case study, we consider the dynamic behaviour of two MEMS configurations, one excluding, and the other including a high-pass filter. With that we wish to study any differences between a dynamical system as typically analysed in the literature and the same system when investigated experimentally. We show that the MEMS' dynamic behaviour is significantly influenced by the experimental setup with different dominating dynamics associated with power electronics and filter properties. The dynamics of the MEMS cantilever is characterised by three key effects: the system is an actively operated system; it is a micro-scale system with amplitudes at nano-scale dimensions; and the integrated actuation physics introduces interesting complex dynamics. The MEMS cantilever with its integrated actuation and sensing abilities was developed for a commercial technology, thus, making our findings directly implementable and meaningful.</p>