Abstract: Since the demonstration of the Resonant Gate Transistor by Harvey Nathason and his team more than 50 years ago, we’ve all been interested in the potential application of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) for timing applications. Of course, there were obstacles, with the biggest associated with the frequency stability of MEMS resonators. After significant effort, we found that stability in MEMS resonators could be improved by ultra-clean high-temperature encapsulation processes. Today, oscillators based on MEMS resonators are providing stability competitive with the best quartz-based oscillators, with improved size, power, weight, reliability, and cost.
Since the earliest demonstration of MEMS inertial sensors for automotive applications more than 30 years ago, we’ve all be interested in the potential application of these devices for inertial navigation applications. Of course, there were obstacles, with the biggest associated with the stability of MEMS sensors. There has been extensive effort on development of materials, operational schemes and other approaches to overcome stability issues. Our group has been exploring one central question: can we build inertial sensors in an encapsulation process similar to that used for the highest-stability MEMS resonators, and is this a path towards ultra-stable inertial MEMS sensors?