Title :
An ASIC for readout of post-processed thin-film MEMS resonators by employing capacitive interfacing and active parasitic cancellation
Author :
Huang, Liwen ; Rieutort-Louis, Warren ; Gualdino, Alexandra ; Teagno, Laura ; Hu, Ya ; Mouro, Joao ; Sanz-Robinson, Josue ; Sturm, James C. ; Wagner, Steffen ; Chu, Virginia ; Conde, João Pedro ; Verma, Naveen
Author_Institution :
Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ, USA
Abstract :
Thin-film MEMS bridges as micro-resonators have proven attractive for various sensing applications (acceleration, mass, chemical, pressure, etc.) by using frequency shift as a basis for sensing [1]. Low-temperature processing of amorphous-silicon (a-Si:H) enables low-cost fabrication of high-Q MEMS bridges having excellent compatibility with CMOS post processing. However, the a-Si:H bridges have weak motional conductances [2]. Parasitic feed-through capacitances, both due to the device structure and routing, can easily drown out the resonant behavior. This paper proposes a non-contact MEMS interfacing and readout system in standard CMOS which enables robust integration while substantially rejecting the effects of parasitic feed-through capacitance.
Keywords :
CMOS integrated circuits; application specific integrated circuits; capacitance; elemental semiconductors; hydrogen; micromechanical resonators; microsensors; readout electronics; silicon; thin film sensors; ASIC; Si:H; active parasitic cancellation; capacitive interfacing; microresonators; noncontact MEMS interfacing; parasitic feed-through capacitances; post-processed thin-film MEMS resonators; readout system; standard CMOS; Bridge circuits; CMOS integrated circuits; Capacitors; Micromechanical devices; Resonant frequency; Sensors;
Conference_Titel :
VLSI Circuits Digest of Technical Papers, 2014 Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Honolulu, HI
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4799-3327-3
DOI :
10.1109/VLSIC.2014.6858442
