Plenary Speakers

The use of mechanics to set and shape signal frequency content is ever-present in applications that permeate society, from the oscillators that tell time and synchronize communications to the front- end filters that outright enable our smartphones. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have played no small role in the advancement of these capabilities, and this technology continues to shape what’s to come. Specifically, MEMS-based oscillators using nano-scale transducer gaps have come a long way, from early days when smaller was simply deemed less stable, to today’s devices that sport
frequency stabilities capable of challenging atomic clocks in certain application spaces. Since good frequency stability generally permits excellent  sensors, it is not surprising that sensors have recently taken center stage for this technology. Here, nano-scale approaches to suppressing environmental interference, e.g., due to temperature changes, may soon enable leaps in capabilities, such as faster brake response and hydrogen tank health monitoring for future fuel cell vehicles, both of which benefit from sensors that can operate over wide temperature ranges. Meanwhile, on the signal processing front, mechanical circuit approaches employing periodic switching over nanometer-scale gaps have lowered communication dynamic range requirements to levels that now permit low-bit-rate all-mechanical radios that can listen continuously with no battery drain, only consuming power when valid bits arrive. This talk will use examples like the above to chronicle how small-gapped MEMS-based frequency control technology has and continues to transform intelligent system capabilities.