Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices are disclosed, including a MEMS device comprising a semiconductor die including integrated circuitry, a structure mounted on the semiconductor die and covering at least a portion of the circuitry, the structure defining a space between the structure and the at least a portion of the circuitry, and a transducer including a membrane, the transducer located outside of the space.

We disclose herein a CMOS-based sensing device comprising a substrate comprising an etched portion, a first region located on the substrate, wherein the first region comprises a membrane region formed over an area of the etched portion of the substrate, a flow sensor formed within the membrane region and a pressure sensor formed within the membrane region.

The performance of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device may be subject to unwanted thermal gradients or nonuniform temperatures. The thermal gradients may be approximated based on voltage measurements taken through bond wires coupled to bond points located on the MEMS device. Thermal gradient measurement may be improved depending on the arrangement of bond wires and/or the material of the bond wires. Sense circuitry that is coupled to the MEMS device may determine corrective actions, such as updating the operation of the MEMS device, that compensate for the adverse effects from the thermal gradients.

A thermal regulation system includes a sensor, one or more temperature adjusting devices, and a filler provided in a space between the sensor and at least one of the one or more temperature adjusting devices. The one or more temperature adjusting devices are (1) in thermal communication with the sensor, and (2) configured to adjust a temperature of the sensor from an initial temperature to a predetermined temperature at a rate of temperature change that meets or exceeds a threshold value.

A device with a first MEMS device and a second MEMS device is disclosed. The first MEMS device is configured to sense at least one external influence. The second MEMS device is responsive to the at least one external influence. The first MEMS device is configured to change a state when the at least one external influence exceeds a threshold value. The first MEMS device is configured to retain the state below the threshold value, wherein the change in state of the first MEMS device is done passively and wherein the state of the first MEMS device is indicative of a status of the second MEMS device. In one example, the first MEMS device further comprises a normally open switch that closes when the external influence exceeds the threshold value.

An example resonating structure comprises a substrate, a resonator body, and an anchoring body for anchoring the resonator body to the substrate. The resonator body includes a layer of base material and, deposited on top of the layer of base material, a layer of mismatch material having a mismatch in temperature coefficient of elasticity (TCE) relative to the base material. The base material is doped with a dopant having a concentration chosen so as to minimize a second order temperature coefficient of frequency for the resonator body. The thickness of the layer of the mismatch material is chosen so as to minimize a first order temperature coefficient of frequency for the resonator body.

A MEMS resonator is equipped with a substrate, a moving structure suspended above the substrate in a horizontal plane formed by first and second axes, having first and second arms, parallel to one another and extending along the second axis, coupled at their respective ends by first and second transverse joining elements, forming an internal window. A first electrode structure is positioned outside the window and capacitively coupled to the moving structure. A second electrode structure is positioned inside the window. One of the first and second electrode structures causes an oscillatory movement of the flexing arms in opposite directions along the first horizontal axis at a resonance frequency, and the other electrode structure has a function of detecting the oscillation. A suspension structure has a suspension arm in the window. An attachment arrangement is coupled to the suspension element centrally in the window, near the second electrode structure.

A miniature gas sensing device includes a silicon-based substrate including an opening. A first membrane is formed over the silicon-based substrate and a first portion of the first membrane covers the opening. A gas sensing layer is formed over a number of electrodes disposed over a first surface of the first portion of the first membrane and one or more heating elements. A permeable enclosure encapsulating the gas sensing layer can maintain thermal energy density over the gas sensing layer at a level sufficient to destroy a target gas to allow measuring a zero baseline.

A gas sensor and the drive circuit for the sensor are installed within a mobile electronic device. The gas sensor is intermittently heated to an operating temperature for detecting gases and kept at an ambient temperature for other periods. When a sensor of the mobile electronic device detects that the device is placed in a closed space, the heating of the metal oxide semiconductor is halted. When the sensor detects that the mobile electronic device has been taken out from the closed space, the heating of the metal oxide semiconductor is resumed. The poisoning of the gas sensor by siloxanes or the like is prevented.

Systems and methods are provided for calibrating and regulating the temperature of a sensor. One or more temperature adjusting devices can be provided to regulate the temperature of the sensor. One or more of the temperature adjusting devices can be provided to perform a calibration to determine a relationship between sensor bias and sensor temperature. The one or more temperature adjusting devices can be built into the sensor.