CAREER: Dielectrically Transduced MEMS Resonators for Communication and Computation

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This CAREER proposal focuses on the design of solid- and liquid-dielectric transduced, high Q, low impedance MEMS resonators. By mechanically coupling these resonators the PI will demonstrate tunable channel-select filters for frequency-agile radios and synchronized oscillators for on-chip clock distribution.Intellectual Merit: The PI will develop new tuning techniques using orthogonal electrodes and liquid dielectrics to tune GHz bulk acoustic resonators. Implementation and testing of resonator arrays will give crucial insight regarding substrate coupling between resonators and degradation in Q through both substrate and dielectric transducer. By designing a synchronized oscillator array on a single-chip, the PI will provide a chip-level tool-kit to study the collective behavior of a large population of micromechanical oscillators.Broader Impact: This research will provide the academic community with an accurately modeled library of dielectrically-transduced MEMS resonators. Initial calculations predict that incorporating tunable MEMS filters into cell-phones will reduce the weight of the phone by 15% and increase battery life by 24%. A successful demonstration of mechanical synchronization of MEMS oscillators will reduce the power consumption of a Pentium 4 microprocessor by 30%. In conjunction with this research, the PI will develop a senior-level MEMS course that combines the fundamentals of electro-mechanics, thin-films, fluidics and the applications of these principles to MEMS devices. The PI has demonstrated a concrete commitment to the development of women engineers: two of his three graduate students are women. The PI organizes workshops through the CNS Institute for Physics Teachers for high-school students and teachers on nanomechanics and forces.