Intrinsically-Compensated Ultra-High-Q Silicon Resonators

随着MEMS技术的发展，它在越来越多的商业应用中找到了自己的方式。特别是，硅微机械谐振器在各种定时、传感和光谱处理应用中具有取代传统电子和机械设备的潜力，从而能够开发全新的产品。然而，在许多领域，这种谐振器的性能明显落后于目前现有的分立替代方案。这些领域包括谐振频率对工艺波动的敏感性，其相对于温度变化的稳定性，以及当前硅谐振器的质量因子和阻抗在高UHF范围（1 GHz及以上）急剧下降的事实。拟议研究的目标是开发和展示全新的技术，将硅MEMS谐振器的性能提高到适合广泛插入商业应用的水平。具体而言，拟议的研究将在以下领域推进硅MEMS谐振器技术的状态（拟议研究的智力优点）：(a)更深入地了解硅的固有损耗机制，并由此开发与标准集成电路制造工艺完全兼容的超高q硅谐振器；(b)基于材料特性和谐振器几何形状的工程技术开发零功率温度补偿技术，以避免谐振器Q的退化。科学成果的传播将以在国内和国际专业会议上的演讲、技术期刊上的文章和大学研讨会的形式进行。佐治亚电子设计中心将促进技术向商业部门的转移，该中心的目标是通过强调重要的长期研究来维持半导体行业的技术增长。这项工作将促进微纳米机械信号处理领域的先进研究和教育。研究和教育的整合将通过PI开发的研究生和本科课程来实现。这些课程涵盖了微纳机电系统分析和设计的原理，重点是MEMS谐振器。课程材料不断更新，并将包括在本提案中描述的研究项目过程中进行的研究活动的结果。现有的研究生课程是什么？MEMS与传感器接口IC设计将通过动手实验课程来加强。让本科生参与研究和教育活动是本提案的另一项重要任务。为此，PI将在佐治亚理工学院夏季本科生工程/科学研究项目的参与者中寻找申请人，这是一个为期十周的夏季研究项目，旨在吸引合格的少数民族学生进入工程和科学领域的研究生院。该项目获得了以往参与者的高度好评。希望这种独特的经历能鼓励这些学生在接下来的几年里申请研究生院。

INTRINSICALLY-COMPENSATED ULTRA-HIGH-Q SILICON RESONATORSPROJECT SUMMARYAs MEMS technology evolves, it finds its way in an ever growing number and range of commercialapplications. In particular, silicon micromechanical resonators have the potential to replace conventionalelectronic and mechanical devices in a variety of timing, sensing and spectral processing applications,thus enabling the development of completely new products. There are, however, a number of areas wherethe performance of such resonators lags significantly behind that of currently existing discretealternatives. These areas include the sensitivity of the resonant frequency to process fluctuations, itsstability with respect to changes in temperature, and the fact that the quality factor and impedance ofcurrent silicon resonators degrades dramatically in the high UHF range (1 GHz and above). The goal ofthe proposed research is to develop and demonstrate radically new technologies that will bring theperformance of silicon MEMS resonators to a level suitable for widespread insertion into commercialapplications. Specifically, the proposed research will advance the state of silicon MEMS resonatortechnology in the following areas (intellectual merits of the proposed research):(a) Deeper understanding of intrinsic loss mechanisms in silicon, and consequent development of ultrahigh-Q silicon resonators that are completely compatible with standard IC fabrication processes, and (b)development of zero-power temperature compensation techniques based on the engineering of materialproperties and resonator geometries that avoid degradation of the Q of the resonator.Dissemination of the scientific results will take place in the form of presentations at national andinternational professional conferences, articles in technical journals, and university seminars. Technologytransfer to the commercial sector will be facilitated by the Georgia Electronic Design Center, whose goalis to sustain the technology growth of the semiconductor industry by placing an emphasis on significantlong-term research.Broader impact of the proposed researchThis effort will promote advanced research and education in the area of micro and nano-mechanicalsignal processing. Integration of research and education will be pursued through graduate andundergraduate courses developed by the PI. These courses cover the principles of micro- and nanoelectromechanicalsystem analysis and design, with an emphasis on MEMS resonators. The coursematerial is constantly updated, and will include the results of research activities that are undertaken duringthe course of the research project described in this proposal. The existing graduate level course on?Interface IC design for MEMS and Sensors? will be augmented by hands-on laboratory sessions.Involvement of undergraduate students in research and educational activities is another important task ofthis proposal. To this end, the PI will seek applicants among the participants in the SummerUndergraduate Research in Engineering/Science Program at Georgia Tech, a ten-week summer researchprogram designed to attract qualified minority students into graduate school in the fields of engineeringand science. The program has received highly favorable evaluations from past participants. It is hopedthat this unique experience will encourage these students to become applicants for graduate school inensuing years.