Temperature Compensation of a MEMS Resonator Using Quality Factor as a Thermometer

Silicon MEMS resonators have great potential for on-chip high frequency signal applications. This paper compares methods of sensing the temperature of an encapsulated silicon MEMS resonator and using this temperature measurement to stabilize the temperature, and hence the resonant frequency, of the resonator. The use of external Pt RTDs, integrated Si thermistors, and the use the Quality factor (Q) of the resonator are explored. Use of the Q as a temperature sensor is explored in detail as it is a nearly ideal temperature sensing method. Characterisations of the temperature sensors and preliminary temperature control results are presented.