Sensitivity enhancement for micromechanical vibro‐impact resonators using snap‐through curved beams

Abstract This work enhances the driving sensitivity of micromechanical vibro‐impact resonators by reducing the output switching gap. Differing from previous works for gap narrowing that either require a dedicated pull‐in bias voltage and stopper structures or post‐fabrication refill processes, the use of the snap‐through technique calls for only the initial activation step without the need for constantly applied voltage or additional process steps. Doing so realizes a final gap spacing from a typical 2‐μm limitation to a 0.9‐μm sub‐micron gap. While probes are used to mechanically initiate the bistable transition in this proof‐of‐concept demonstration, this could be done electrically once properly designed actuation electrodes are available. This transducer gap narrowing technique can help facilitate higher sensitivity for vibro‐impact resonator embedded applications such as zero‐quiescent power communication receivers.