CAREER: Advanced Temperature Compensation Techniques for Integrated Bulk-Mode Micro and Nano Mechanical Resonators

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This CAREER proposal is aimed at the investigation and implementation of novel integrated temperature compensation techniques for high frequency (1-50GHz) and high quality factor (Q) bulk-mode micro and nano mechanical resonators with integrated nanoscale transducers. The intellectual merits of the proposed activity are:1. To develop integrated self-compensation techniques (oven-less) for temperature sensitivity of high-Q micro and nano mechanical resonators, without deteriorating the Q of the resonator.2. To implement high-Q bulk-mode nano-electromechanical resonators with integrated nanoscale transducers, and resonant frequencies deep into the Gigahertz range (1-50GHz);The broader impacts of the proposed activity are:- For the first time, it will result in the realization of temperature-compensated integrated micro/nanomechanical resonators with near zero temperature coefficient of frequency (zero-TCF), making it possible to replace the quartz crystals in numerous clocking, time keeping and frequency referencing applications with on-chip silicon electromechanical resonators. - The development of high performance GHz-frequency integrated resonators will make the integration of temperature-stable high frequency filters with RF circuits possible. Such filters currently present a bottleneck to the integration of high performance RF systems on a chip.- Bulk-mode nanomechanical resonators will have high Q (in the 1000's) in air and in liquid, while having high frequencies and very small mass. This will lead to the realization of precision resonant biochemical and biological sensor arrays at the nanoscale.The activities of this proposal will not only bring about significant scientific discoveries in the area of nano-electromechanical devices and systems, but will also enable realization of new low-cost, single-chip, precision RF-sensory micro-nodes by developing integrated solutions for nanoscale electromechanical building blocks of such systems.