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Integrated Piezoresistive Sensing For Feedback Control Of Compliant Mems, Robert K. Messenger Oct 2007

Integrated Piezoresistive Sensing For Feedback Control Of Compliant Mems, Robert K. Messenger

Theses and Dissertations

Feedback control of MEMS devices has the potential to significantly improve device performance and reliability. One of the main obstacles to its broader use is the small number of on-chip sensing options available to MEMS designers. A method of using integrated piezoresistive sensing is proposed and demonstrated as another option. Integrated piezoresistive sensing utilizes the inherent piezoresistive property of polycrystalline silicon from which many MEMS devices are fabricated. As compliant MEMS structures flex to perform their functions, their resistance changes. That resistance change can be used to transduce the structures' deflection into an electrical signal. This dissertation addresses three topics …


Toward A Flying Mems Robot, Nathan E. Glauvitz Mar 2007

Toward A Flying Mems Robot, Nathan E. Glauvitz

Theses and Dissertations

The work in this thesis includes the design, modeling, and testing of motors and rotor blades to be used on a millimeter-scale helicopter style flying micro air vehicle (MAV). Three different types of motor designs were developed and tested, which included circular scratch drives, electrostatic motors, and comb drive resonators. Six different rotor designs were tested; five used residual stress while one design used photoresist to act as a hinge to achieve rotor blade deflection. Two key parameters of performance were used to evaluate the motor and rotor blade designs: the frequency of motor rotation and the angle of deflection …