Using nonlinear dynamics for performance enhancement in resonant micro and nano-scale devices

MEMS and NEMS provide a novel and exciting medium where one can observe and utilize mathematical phenomena not often present in macro-scale systems. By understanding thoroughly the dynamics of resonant MEMS, we can not only predict device behavior to eliminate unwanted effects, but also use nonlinear effects to design better sensors and systems. This paper describes two examples of utilizing and exploiting the parametric resonance instability to design micro and nano-scale resonant sensors. The first example discusses a class of sensors (pressure and mass) based on tracking a sharp bifurcation present in the system. The second example, based on a coupled mode parametric resonance, is a parametric amplifier, which has direct applications in communications (filters, switches, mixers) where high-Q, tunable resonant elements are essential.