Stability of a Micromechanical Pull-In Voltage Reference

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2003

Authors

Luis A. Rocha (Author) FEUP; E. Cretu (Author) Other; R. F. Wolffenbuttel (Author) Other

Journal

Title: IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement

Vol. 52 No. 2

Pages: 457-460

ISSN: 0018-9456

Publisher: IEEE

Other information

DOI: 10.1109/TIM.2003.810007

Abstract (EN): The reproducibility over temperature and time of the pull-in voltage of micromechanical structures has been analyzed and verified using fabricated devices in silicon. The pull-in structures are intended for use as an on-chip voltage reference. Microbeams of 100-μm length, 3-μm width, and 11-μm thickness are electrostatically actuated with a very reproducible pull-in voltage at 9.1 V. Devices demonstrated an initial drift of -12 mV over 10 days and stabilized within the 500-μV measurement uncertainty. The measured temperature coefficient of -1 mV/K is in good agreement with the analysis and is due to the combined effect of thermal expansion and the temperature dependence of the Young's modulus in silicon.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 4