The present description concerns a clock signal generation device (902) comprising: a microelectromechanical resonant element (504); and at least one nanoelectromechanical transduction element (512).

MEMS based sensors, particularly capacitive sensors, potentially can address critical considerations for users including accuracy, repeatability, long-term stability, ease of calibration, resistance to chemical and physical contaminants, size, packaging, and cost effectiveness. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to exploit MEMS processes that allow for manufacturability and integration of resonator elements into cavities within the MEMS sensor that are at low pressure allowing high quality factor resonators and absolute pressure sensors to be implemented. Embodiments of the invention provide capacitive sensors and MEMS elements that can be implemented directly above silicon CMOS electronics.

A resonator that includes a piezoelectric vibrator, a frame, and a first node generator between the piezoelectric vibrator and the frame. Moreover, a first connecting arm connects the first node generator to the piezoelectric vibrator that opposes the first, and a first holding arm connects the first node generator to a part of the frame that opposes the first node generator. The first node generator includes a width extending in a second direction, which is orthogonal to a first direction of the first connecting arm, that is a maximum width where the first node generator is closer to the first connecting arm than a center of the first node generator relative to the first direction. Moreover, the width of the first node generator gradually decreases from the maximum width as the first node generator extends towards the first holding arm.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to acoustically decoupled microelectromechanical system devices and, more particularly, to acoustically decoupled microelectromechanical system devices anchored upon phononic crystals. In some embodiments described herein, a device may comprise a resonator, a handle layer, and a pedestal disposed between the resonator and the handle layer, the pedestal connecting the resonator to the handle layer. In the devices described herein, the resonator and the handle layer may be non-coplanar. In some embodiments, the handle layer comprises a phononic crystal to acoustically decouple the resonator from the substrate of the handle layer.

A micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) device comprises an inertial component configured for being connected to a structure by a flexible connection allowing the inertial component to deform or move relative to the structure in response to an external stimulus applied to the structure. One or more resonant components are connected to the structure or inertial component, the resonant component(s) having resonant mode(s). Transduction unit(s) measures an oscillatory motion of the resonant component relative to the inertial component and/or structure. An electronic control unit applies a pump of electrostatic force to induce an oscillatory motion of the resonant component(s) in the resonant mode, the oscillatory motion being a non-linear function of a strength of the electrostatic force. The resonant component is configured to be coupled to the inertial component and/or the structure such that a deformation and/or motion of the inertial component in response to an external stimulus changes the strength of the pump, the electronic control unit configured for producing and outputting an output signal being a mathematical function of the measured oscillatory motion. A system for producing a neuromorphic output for a MEMS device exposed to external stimuli is also provided.

A vibrator that includes a silicon substrate, an electrode facing a surface of the silicon substrate, and a piezoelectric body between the silicon substrate and the electrode and that produces contour vibration in a plane along the surface of the silicon substrate in accordance with a voltage applied to the electrode. The vibrator includes one or more substantially rectangular vibration regions each having a long side parallel to a node of the contour vibration of the piezoelectric body and a short side orthogonal to the node of the contour vibration of the piezoelectric body and corresponding to a half-wavelength of the contour vibration. The resonator satisfies W/T≥4 and y=−0.85×(1/T)+0.57±0.05 where T is the thickness of the silicon substrate, W is the width of the short side of the vibration region, and y is the resistivity of the silicon substrate.

The present disclosure describes a micromechanical resonator comprising a resonator element (40) having a length (l.sub.1) and a width (w.sub.1) that is perpendicular to the length. The resonator element has a length-to-width aspect ratio in a range of 1.8 to 2.2. The resonator element is suspended to a support structure with two or more anchors (41, 43). Each of the two or more anchors is attached to a first location or a second location. The first location is at a shorter side (42) of the resonator element. The first location divides the width (w.sub.1) of the resonator element into a larger portion (w.sub.3) and a smaller portion (w.sub.2) such that a ratio between said smaller portion (w.sub.2) and the whole width (w.sub.1) is in a range of 0.10 to 0.28. The second location is at a longer side (44). The second location divides the length (l.sub.1) of the resonator element into a larger portion (l.sub.3) and a smaller portion (l.sub.2) such that a ratio between said smaller portion (l.sub.2) and the whole length (l.sub.1) is in a range of 0.36 to 0.48.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to acoustically decoupled microelectromechanical system devices and, more particularly, to acoustically decoupled microelectromechanical system devices anchored upon phononic crystals. In some embodiments described herein, a device may comprise a resonator, a handle layer, and a pedestal disposed between the resonator and the handle layer, the pedestal connecting the resonator to the handle layer. In the devices described herein, the resonator and the handle layer may be non-coplanar. In some embodiments, the handle layer comprises a phononic crystal to acoustically decouple the resonator from the substrate of the handle layer.

MEMS based sensors, particularly capacitive sensors, potentially can address critical considerations for users including accuracy, repeatability, long-term stability, ease of calibration, resistance to chemical and physical contaminants, size, packaging, and cost effectiveness. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to exploit MEMS processes that allow for manufacturability and integration of resonator elements into cavities within the MEMS sensor that are at low pressure allowing high quality factor resonators and absolute pressure sensors to be implemented. Embodiments of the invention provide capacitive sensors and MEMS elements that can be implemented directly above silicon CMOS electronics.

Reference oscillators are ubiquitous in timing applications generally, and in modern wireless communication devices particularly. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) resonators are of particular interest due to their small size and potential for integration with other MEMS devices and electrical circuits on the same chip. In order to support their use in high volume low cost applications it would be beneficial for MEMS designers to have MEMS resonator designs and manufacturing processes that whilst employing low cost low resolution semiconductor processing yield improved resonator performance thereby reducing the requirements of the oscillator circuitry. It would be further beneficial for the oscillator circuitry to be able to leverage the improved noise performance of differential TIAs without sacrificing power consumption.