SEMICONDUCTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

Feed-through cancellation of a MEMS filter using the difference method and analysis of the induced notch

Guowei Han1, 2, , Chaowei Si1, 2, Jin Ning1, 2, Weiwei Zhong1, 2, Guosheng Sun1, 2, Yongmei Zhao1, 2 and Fuhua Yang1, 2

+ Author Affiliations

 Corresponding author: Han Guowei, Email:hangw1984@semi.ac.cn

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Abstract: This paper presents and analyzes a notch observed in MEMS (micro electric mechanical system) filter characterization using the difference method. The difference method takes advantage of the cancellation of parasitic feed-through, which could potentially obscure the relatively small motional signal and lead to failure in characterization of the MEMS components. In this paper, typical clamped-clamped beam MEMS filters are fabricated and characterized with the difference method. Using the difference method a better performance is obtained but a notch is induced as a potential problem. Analysis is performed and reveals the mismatch of the two differential excitation signals in measurement circuit contributes to the notch. The relevant circuit design rule is also proposed to avoid the notch in the difference method.

Key words: MEMS filterfeed-through cancellationdifference methodnotch



[1]
Bannon F D Ⅲ, Nguyen C T C. High frequency microelectromechanical IF filters. Tech Dig IEEE Electron Devices Meeting, 1996:773 https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ctnguyen/Research/ConferencePubs/1996/iedm96.2resCCbeamFilter.corr.ctnguyen.pdf
[2]
Wang S, Chandorkar S A, Graham A B, et al. Encapsulated mechanically coupled fully-differential breathe-mode ring filters with ultra-narrow bandwidth. 16th Int Conf on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (TRANSDUCERS), 2011:942 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5969668/authors
[3]
Lee J E Y, Zhu Y, Seshia A A. A bulk acoustic mode single-crystal silicon microresonatorwith a high quality factor. J Micromech Microeng, 2008, 18(6):064001 doi: 10.1088/0960-1317/18/6/064001
[4]
Li S S, Lin Y W, Ren Z, et al. Disk-array design for suppression of unwanted modes in micromechanical composite-array filters. 19th IEEE Int Conf on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 2006:22 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1627937/
[5]
Lo C C, Chen F, Fedder G K. Integrated HF CMOS-MEMS square-frame resonators with on-chip electronics and electrothermal narrow gap mechanism. 13th IEEE Int Conf on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, 2005:2074 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1497511/
[6]
Cheng T J, Bhave S A. High-Q, low impedance polysilicon resonators with 10 nm air gaps. 23rd IEEE Int Conf on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MSMS), 2010:695 https://engineering.purdue.edu/oxidemems/papers/MEMS2010_VerySmallGap.pdf
[7]
Lin Y W, Li S S, Ren Z. Low phase noise array-composite micromechanical wine-glass disk oscillator. IEEE Int Electron Devices Mtg, 2005:287 http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ssli/Publication/ArrayOsc.iedm05.pdf
[8]
Lee J E Y, Seshia A A. Parasitic feedthrough cancellation techniques for enhanced electrical characterization of electrostatic microresonators. Sensors and Actuators, 2009, A156:36 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924424709000405
[9]
Nguyen C T C. High-Q HF microelectromechanical filters. IEEE J Solid-State Circuits, 2000, 35(4):512 doi: 10.1109/4.839911
Fig. 1.  SEM of the RF MEMS filter based on poly-silicon in characterization, with beam length $=$ 30 $\mu$m, width $=$ 12 $\mu$m, thickness $=$ 1.7 $\mu$m.

Fig. 2.  Brief equivalent electrical network of the coactively driven MEMS resonator, $C_{\rm p}$ is the feed-through capacitance lending to signal leakage.

Fig. 3.  Brief diagram of the basis characterization setup.

Fig. 4.  Diagram of the difference method used to cancel feed-through.

Fig. 5.  (a) Spectrum result of the direct method, the scale of which is 0.5 dB. (b) Measurement result using the difference method, the scale of which is 5 dB, presenting a great improvement, but a notch is induced.

Fig. 6.  Vector diagram describing different signals. $\boldsymbol{A}$ represents the motional current sourced by the vibration of the MEMS filter, $\boldsymbol{B}$ represents the capacitive feed-through current, $\boldsymbol{C}$ is the vector summation of $\boldsymbol{A}$ and $\boldsymbol{B}$, $M$ describes vector $\boldsymbol{A}$ varying with frequency.

Fig. 7.  A new vector $\boldsymbol{D}$ resulting from the non-ideal difference excitation signals, combined with the motional output current $\boldsymbol{A}$ of filter, constitute the output of setup in characterization using difference method. }

Fig. 8.  Diagram illustrating the notch, in which $f_{0}$, $f_{1}$ and $f_{2}$ correspond to the frequency of the first peak, the second peak and the notch in magnitude.

Fig. 9.  Schematic used to simulate the mismatch in characterization.

Fig. 10.  Simulated output with corresponding polar diagram using the difference method in cases of match and mismatch.

Fig. 11.  The phase difference measured by the VNA between the two output signals driven by the difference excitation signals, 190$^\circ$ instead of 180$^\circ$.

Fig. 12.  Spectrum of the MEMS filter with revised measurement circuit using the difference method. The notch is taken off from the spectrum by a better match between the differential excitation signals.

[1]
Bannon F D Ⅲ, Nguyen C T C. High frequency microelectromechanical IF filters. Tech Dig IEEE Electron Devices Meeting, 1996:773 https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ctnguyen/Research/ConferencePubs/1996/iedm96.2resCCbeamFilter.corr.ctnguyen.pdf
[2]
Wang S, Chandorkar S A, Graham A B, et al. Encapsulated mechanically coupled fully-differential breathe-mode ring filters with ultra-narrow bandwidth. 16th Int Conf on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (TRANSDUCERS), 2011:942 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5969668/authors
[3]
Lee J E Y, Zhu Y, Seshia A A. A bulk acoustic mode single-crystal silicon microresonatorwith a high quality factor. J Micromech Microeng, 2008, 18(6):064001 doi: 10.1088/0960-1317/18/6/064001
[4]
Li S S, Lin Y W, Ren Z, et al. Disk-array design for suppression of unwanted modes in micromechanical composite-array filters. 19th IEEE Int Conf on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 2006:22 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1627937/
[5]
Lo C C, Chen F, Fedder G K. Integrated HF CMOS-MEMS square-frame resonators with on-chip electronics and electrothermal narrow gap mechanism. 13th IEEE Int Conf on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, 2005:2074 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1497511/
[6]
Cheng T J, Bhave S A. High-Q, low impedance polysilicon resonators with 10 nm air gaps. 23rd IEEE Int Conf on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MSMS), 2010:695 https://engineering.purdue.edu/oxidemems/papers/MEMS2010_VerySmallGap.pdf
[7]
Lin Y W, Li S S, Ren Z. Low phase noise array-composite micromechanical wine-glass disk oscillator. IEEE Int Electron Devices Mtg, 2005:287 http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ssli/Publication/ArrayOsc.iedm05.pdf
[8]
Lee J E Y, Seshia A A. Parasitic feedthrough cancellation techniques for enhanced electrical characterization of electrostatic microresonators. Sensors and Actuators, 2009, A156:36 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924424709000405
[9]
Nguyen C T C. High-Q HF microelectromechanical filters. IEEE J Solid-State Circuits, 2000, 35(4):512 doi: 10.1109/4.839911
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    Received: 25 August 2012 Revised: 02 November 2012 Online: Published: 01 April 2013

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      Guowei Han, Chaowei Si, Jin Ning, Weiwei Zhong, Guosheng Sun, Yongmei Zhao, Fuhua Yang. Feed-through cancellation of a MEMS filter using the difference method and analysis of the induced notch[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2013, 34(4): 045006. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/34/4/045006 G W Han, C W Si, J Ning, W W Zhong, G S Sun, Y M Zhao, F H Yang. Feed-through cancellation of a MEMS filter using the difference method and analysis of the induced notch[J]. J. Semicond., 2013, 34(4): 045006. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/34/4/045006.Export: BibTex EndNote
      Citation:
      Guowei Han, Chaowei Si, Jin Ning, Weiwei Zhong, Guosheng Sun, Yongmei Zhao, Fuhua Yang. Feed-through cancellation of a MEMS filter using the difference method and analysis of the induced notch[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2013, 34(4): 045006. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/34/4/045006

      G W Han, C W Si, J Ning, W W Zhong, G S Sun, Y M Zhao, F H Yang. Feed-through cancellation of a MEMS filter using the difference method and analysis of the induced notch[J]. J. Semicond., 2013, 34(4): 045006. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/34/4/045006.
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      Feed-through cancellation of a MEMS filter using the difference method and analysis of the induced notch

      doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/34/4/045006
      Funds:

      Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61274001, 61006073, 61234007) and the National Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China (No. 2006AA04Z339)

      the National Natural Science Foundation of China 61006073

      the National Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China 2006AA04Z339

      the National Natural Science Foundation of China 61274001

      the National Natural Science Foundation of China 61234007

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      • Corresponding author: Han Guowei, Email:hangw1984@semi.ac.cn
      • Received Date: 2012-08-25
      • Revised Date: 2012-11-02
      • Published Date: 2013-04-01

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