Analysis of resonant pull-in of micro-electromechanical oscillators

International audienceIn this paper, the equations governing the pull-in of electrostatic MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) oscillators are established and analyzed. This phenomenon defines the maximal oscillation amplitude that can be obtained without incurring instability and, hence, an upper limit to the performance of a given device. The proposed approach makes it possible to accurately predict pull-in behaviour from the purely resonant case, in which the electrostatic bias is very small, to the static case. The method is first exposed in the case of a parallel-plate resonator and the influence of the excitation waveform on the resonant pull-in characteristics is assessed. It is then extended to the more complex case of clamped-clamped and cantilever beams. The results are validated by comparison with transient simulations