A resonant microstructure tunability analysis for an out-of-plane capacitive detection MEMS magnetometer

In this paper, the method of tuning the resonant frequency of a micro-resonant clamped–clamped beam has been successfully applied to a MEMS capacitive magnetometer. The resonant structure frequency, which presents the vital component of the sensor, was tuned by applying a bias voltage between the interdigitated capacitive comb-fingers in order to control its spring constant. It has been proved that an applied DC voltage increases the structure stiffness and as a result the resonance frequency to higher values, especially for low motion magnitude. The shifting causes were described through an accurate analytic analysis using the generated electrostatic force between movable and fixed combs, and thereafter have been proved by characterization. The measured resonance frequency of the clamped–clamped beam structure was changed by up to 38 % from the original value (around 18.2 kHz) when a bias voltage of 52 V was applied. Tuning the resonant frequency of the resonating structure has many advantages for the magnetometer since it can serve as a feedback mechanism for error compensation.