A MEMS device includes a MEMS sound transducer, and control circuitry. The control circuitry includes a supply signal provider for providing a high-level supply signal and read-out circuitry for receiving an output signal from the MEMS sound transducer, and a switching arrangement for selectively connecting the MEMS sound transducer to the supply signal provider, and for selectively connecting the MEMS sound transducer to the read-out circuitry based on a control signal. The control circuitry provides the control signal having an ultrasonic actuation pattern to the switching arrangement during a first condition TX of the control signal, wherein the ultrasonic actuation pattern of the control signal triggers the switching arrangement for alternately coupling the high-level supply signal to the MEMS sound transducer.

The disclosure relates generally to microphone and vibration sensor assemblies (100) having a transducer (102), like a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, and an electrical circuit (103) disposed in a housing (110) configured for integration with a host device. The electrical circuit includes a transducer bias circuit that applies a bias to the transducer and a bias control circuit (204) that compensates for transducer sensitivity drift caused by variation in an environmental condition of the transducer, and electrical circuits therefor.

Some embodiments of a device comprise an image-forming medium and one or more sensors that are attached to the image-forming medium. Also, in some embodiments, the image-forming medium is paper or a medium that has paper-like characteristics, at least some of the one or more sensors are microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), or the one or more sensors are configured to be powered by wireless power transfer. And some embodiments of the device further comprise a system-on-a-chip that is in communication with the one or more sensors, a transceiver that is in communication with the system-on-a-chip, or a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

A Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) device comprises a piezoelectric transducer having a first frequency behavior, wherein the piezoelectric transducer comprises a piezoelectric trimming region, and control circuitry to provide a bias signal to the piezoelectric trimming region of the piezoelectric transducer for adjusting a second frequency behavior of the piezoelectric transducer.

Embodiments provide a method and mechanism for reducing changes in the resonant frequency of a MEMS mirror structure with temperature due to a mismatch between the CTE of the MEMS die and the package substrate. A die attach layer with a low Young's modulus, such as less than 15,000 psi, is used to allow absorption of some of the stress due to the mismatch in the CTE of the MEMS die and the package substrate. In addition, in embodiments a thicker die attach layer than normal is used to absorb some of the stress, increasing the height of the die attach layer from the normal range around 25 μm to between 50-150 μm thick. In further embodiments a pattern of open cavities is etched in the bottom of the die substrate. The die substrate may be made thicker to provide room for the cavities.

Adjusting of calibration parameters for a sensor. The adjusted calibration parameters may be used to correct the raw data of the sensor. It is provided to calculate new calibration parameters only when accuracy of the calibration parameters currently available is no longer adequate, and suitable measurement data are available for a recalibration of the sensor. Otherwise, the components necessary for calibrating the sensor data may be deactivated in order to reduce energy consumption.

A method for operating a capacitive MEMS sensor. The method includes: supplying a defined electrical potential on a deflectably mounted, seismic mass of the MEMS sensor; capacitively inducing a vibrational motion of the seismic mass with the aid of a clocked electrical control voltage; compensating for fluctuations in the supplied electrical potential on the seismic mass caused by the clocked electrical control voltage, by selectively charging and/or discharging an electrical storage element connected to the seismic mass in accordance with the frequency of the clocked electrical control voltage.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a comb drive, a comb drive system, and a method of operating the comb drive to rotate bi-directionally in a MEMS environment. An exemplary comb drive system may include a comb drive, at least one power source, and a controller. The comb drive may include a stator comb having a first electrically conductive layer spaced apart from a second electrically conductive layer. The comb drive may also include a rotor comb having a first electrically conductive layer spaced apart from a second electrically conductive layer. The controller may be configured to apply first and second voltage levels having opposite polarities to the first and second electrically conductive layers of the rotor comb, respectively. The controller may also be configured to apply an intermediate voltage level to one of the first or second electrically conductive layers of the stator comb.

An integrated CMOS-MEMS device includes a first substrate having a CMOS device, a second substrate having a MEMS device, an insulator layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, a dischargeable ground-contact, an electrical bypass structure, and a contrast stress layer. The first substrate includes a conductor that is conductively connecting to the CMOS devices. The electrical bypass structure has a conducting layer conductively connecting this conductor of the first substrate with the dischargeable ground-contact through a process-configurable electrical connection. The contrast stress layer is disposed between the insulator layer and the conducting layer of the electrical bypass structure.

A sensor device includes a first and second Micro-Electro-Mechanical (MEM) structures. The first MEM structure includes a first heating element on a first layer of the first MEM structure. The first heating element includes an input adapted to receive an input signal. The first MEM structure also includes a first temperature sensing element on a second layer of the first MEM structure. The second MEM structure includes a second heating element on a first layer of the second MEM structure and a second temperature sensing element on a second layer of the second MEM structure. An output circuit has a first input coupled to the first temperature sensing element and a second input coupled to the second temperature sensing element.