Seshia A.A., Low W., Bhave S.A., Howe R.T., Montague S.
University of California, US
Keywords: micromechanical oscillator, Pierce circuit, resonant sensing, resonator
We present the design techniques and experimental characterization of a Pierce oscillator circuit adapted for micromechanical elements with resonant frequencies lying between 100 and 300 kHz. Micromechanical double-ended tuning fork resonators serve as the crystal element of the oscillator. The measured phase noise of these oscillators lies below -100 dBc/Hz at a frequency offset of 500 Hz away from the carrier with in-circuit quality factors exceeding 30000. This noise figure improves upon previous reported values and demonstrates the feasibility of a Pierce oscillator for micromechanical vibrating elements with resonant frequencies lying under 1 MHz. The value of the second harmonic distortion factor (HD2) is -44 dB for an output amplitude of 50 mV.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Technical Proceedings of the 2002 International Conference on Modeling and Simulation of Microsystems
Published: April 22, 2002
Pages: 162 - 165
Industry sector: Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topics: MEMS & NEMS Devices, Modeling & Applications, Modeling & Simulation of Microsystems
ISBN: 0-9708275-7-1