A Comprehensive Study on MEMS Resonators Subject to Blue Sideband Excitation

Abstract

This work conducts a comprehensive investigation of the recently emerging blue-sideband excitation (BSE) technique on micro-resonators, exploring the manifold distinctive features that this subject presents, and highlighting its promising potential for practical applications. Commencing with the fundamental mechanisms, this study reveals the excited mode nonlinearity with respect to BSE, which has been unresolved in previous literature. Followed by a corroboration of universality, this study demonstrates consistent BSE characteristics across diverse resonator architectures and validates a single-source driving strategy capable of simultaneously exciting multiple resonant modes. More importantly, we identify a previously unreported inverse-sensitivity phenomenon under BSE. Two distinct synchronous multi-mode operation regimes are observed: in one regime, each mode retains the sensitivity characteristics of conventional single-mode operation; in the other, the sensitivities of the modes are modified but exhibit opposite trends. This intriguing behavior is further investigated, with particular focus on electrostatic perturbation sensitivity and noise floor performance. Furthermore, noise and stability analyses provide comprehensive insights into resonator performance under various excitation conditions. Overall, this work highlights the unique characteristics of BSE-driven MEMS resonators and provides practical guidance for leveraging BSE to enhance device performance, paving the way for next-generation high-precision MEMS resonators.[2026-0004]