A MEMS autonomous switched oscillator

This work presents the model, design and characterization of an autonomous electrostatic MEMS oscillator for sensing application. The proposed system, consisting of a parallel-plate electrostatic MEMS device, a DC voltage source and a displacement-dependent resistive circuit, is capable of sustaining oscillations autonomously. It can exhibit periodic or aperiodic behavior, impacted by its working point and by environmental parameters, e.g. pressure, temperature. Electronic and non-electronic information can be submitted or retrieved from the oscillator system that present a very rich behavior sensitive to external stimuli what makes it a good candidate for threshold sensing.