Metal Microelectromechanical Resonator Exhibiting Fast Human Activity Detection.

This work presents a MEMS resonator used as an ultra-high resolution water vapor sensor (humidity sensing) to detect human activity through finger movement as a demonstrator example. This microelectromechanical resonator is designed as a clamped-clamped beam fabricated using the top metal layer of a commercial CMOS technology (0.35 µm CMOS-AMS) and monolithically integrated with conditioning and readout circuitry. Sensing is performed through the resonance frequency change due to the addition of water onto the clamped-clamped beam coming from the moisture created by the evaporation of water in the human body. The sensitivity and high-speed response to the addition of water onto the metal bridge, as well as the quick dewetting of the surface, make it suitable for low-power human activity sensing.

Multielement Ring Array Based on Minute Size PMUTs for High Acoustic Pressure and Tunable Focus Depth.

This paper presents a multielement annular ring ultrasound transducer formed by individual high-frequency PMUTs (17.5 MHz in air and 8.7 MHz in liquid) intended for high-precision axial focalization and high-performance ultrasound imaging. The prototype has five independent multielement rings fabricated by a monolithic process over CMOS, allowing for a very compact and robust design. Crosstalk between rings is under 56 dB, which guarantees an efficient beam focusing on a range between 1.4 mm and 67 µm. The presented PMUT-on-CMOS annular array with an overall diameter down to 669 µm achieves an output pressure in liquid of 4.84 kPa/V/mm2 at 1.5 mm away from the array when the five channels are excited together, which is the largest reported for PMUTs. Pulse-echo experiments towards high-resolution imaging are demonstrated using the central ring as a receiver. With an equivalent diameter of 149 µm, this central ring provides high receiving sensitivity, 441.6 nV/Pa, higher than that of commercial hydrophones with equivalent size. A 1D ultrasound image using two channels is demonstrated, with maximum received signals of 7 mVpp when a nonintegrated amplifier is used, demonstrating the ultrasound imaging capabilities.

High Accuracy Ultrasound Micro-Distance Measurements with PMUTs under Liquid Operation.

Ultrasonic systems driven by multi-frequency continuous waves (MFCW) have been used for range distance measurement, offering high accuracy in long and medium range distance estimation. However, the use of continuous waves in very short-distance measurements causes large errors due to multipath reflections. This paper presents a new strategy to estimate very short relative distances with high accuracy based on the use of multi-frequency pulsed waves (MFPW). The proposed strategy allows to avoid the multipath reflections that appear when continuous waves are used, and it improves the achieved accuracy compared to the original MFCW method. To validate it, an 80 µm square AlScN piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) was chosen as a transmitter while a hydrophone was utilized as a target and receiver, immersed in fluorinert (FC-70) as a propagation medium. Three independent and consecutive tone-burst signals were transmitted successively. The selected frequencies are f1 = 2.3962 MHz, f2 = 2.327 MHz and f3 = 2.1195 MHz, giving first and second-order resolutions of 6.88 and 0.79 µm/°, respectively. Experimental results show a ±6.2 µm measured range error in a range of 3.5 mm, and therefore it represents a good candidate for ultrasound micro-profilometer applications under liquid operation.

Enhancing AlN PMUTs' Acoustic Responsivity within a MEMS-on-CMOS Process.

In this paper, guidelines for the optimization of piezoelectrical micromachined ultrasound transducers (PMUTs) monolithically integrated over a CMOS technology are developed. Higher acoustic pressure is produced by PMUTs with a thin layer of AlN piezoelectrical material and Si3N4 as a passive layer, as is studied here with finite element modeling (FEM) simulations and experimental characterization. Due to the thin layers used, parameters such as residual stress become relevant as they produce a buckled structure. It has been reported that the buckling of the membrane due to residual stress, in general, reduces the coupling factor and consequently degrades the efficiency of the acoustic pressure production. In this paper, we show that this buckling can be beneficial and that the fabricated PMUTs exhibit enhanced performance depending on the placement of the electrodes. This behavior was demonstrated experimentally and through FEM. The acoustic characterization of the fabricated PMUTs shows the enhancement of the PMUT performance as a transmitter (with 5 kPa V-1 surface pressure for a single PMUT) and as a receiver (12.5 V MPa-1) in comparison with previously reported devices using the same MEMS-on-CMOS technology as well as state-of-the-art devices.

Miniaturized 0.13-µm CMOS Front-End Analog for AlN PMUT Arrays.

This paper presents an analog front-end transceiver for an ultrasound imaging system based on a high-voltage (HV) transmitter, a low-noise front-end amplifier (RX), and a complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor, aluminum nitride, piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMOS-AlN-PMUT). The system was designed using the 0.13-µm Silterra CMOS process and the MEMS-on-CMOS platform, which allowed for the implementation of an AlN PMUT on top of the CMOS-integrated circuit. The HV transmitter drives a column of six 80-µm-square PMUTs excited with 32 V in order to generate enough acoustic pressure at a 2.1-mm axial distance. On the reception side, another six 80-µm-square PMUT columns convert the received echo into an electric charge that is amplified by the receiver front-end amplifier. A comparative analysis between a voltage front-end amplifier (VA) based on capacitive integration and a charge-sensitive front-end amplifier (CSA) is presented. Electrical and acoustic experiments successfully demonstrated the functionality of the designed low-power analog front-end circuitry, which outperformed a state-of-the art front-end application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) in terms of power consumption, noise performance, and area.

Enhancement of Frequency Stability Using Synchronization of a Cantilever Array for MEMS-Based Sensors.

Micro and nano electromechanical resonators have been widely used as single or multiple-mass detection sensors. Smaller devices with higher resonance frequencies and lower masses offer higher mass responsivities but suffer from lower frequency stability. Synchronization phenomena in multiple MEMS resonators have become an important issue because they allow frequency stability improvement, thereby preserving mass responsivity. The authors present an array of five cantilevers (CMOS-MEMS system) that are forced to vibrate synchronously to enhance their frequency stability. The frequency stability has been determined in closed-loop configuration for long periods of time by calculating the Allan deviation. An Allan deviation of 0.013 ppm (@ 1 s averaging time) for a 1 MHz cantilever array MEMS system was obtained at the synchronized mode, which represents a 23-fold improvement in comparison with the non-synchronized operation mode (0.3 ppm).

Top-Down CMOS-NEMS Polysilicon Nanowire with Piezoresistive Transduction.

A top-down clamped-clamped beam integrated in a CMOS technology with a cross section of 500 nm × 280 nm has been electrostatic actuated and sensed using two different transduction methods: capacitive and piezoresistive. The resonator made from a single polysilicon layer has a fundamental in-plane resonance at 27 MHz. Piezoresistive transduction avoids the effect of the parasitic capacitance assessing the capability to use it and enhance the CMOS-NEMS resonators towards more efficient oscillator. The displacement derived from the capacitive transduction allows to compute the gauge factor for the polysilicon material available in the CMOS technology.

Single-cell system using monolithic PMUTs-on-CMOS to monitor fluid hydrodynamic properties.

In this work, a single cell capable of monitoring fluid density, viscosity, sound velocity, and compressibility with a compact and small design is presented. The fluid measurement system is formed by a two-port AlScN piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) with an 80 µm length monolithically fabricated with a 130 nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The electrode configuration allows the entire system to be implemented in a single device, where one electrode is used as an input and the other as an output. Experimental verification was carried out by exploiting the features of piezoelectric devices such as resonators and acoustic transducers, where a frequency shift and amplitude variation are expected because of a change in density and viscosity. A sensitivity of 482 ± 14 Hz/kg/m3 demonstrates the potential of the system compared to other dual-electrode PMUTs. In addition, according to the acoustic measurement, the sound velocity, fluid compressibility, and viscosity coefficient can be extracted, which, to the best of our knowledge, is novel in these PMUT systems.

[Healthy walks, beyond physical exercise: evaluation of an experience in older population from Gipuzkoa (Spain)]. / Rutas saludables, más allá del ejercicio físico: evaluación de una experiencia en población mayor de Gipuzkoa.

INTRODUCTION: In 2011 the Tipi-Tapa initiative was endorsed by the Public Health Department of Gipuzkoa to promote physical exercise through healthy walks in community-dwelling older adults, in collaboration with municipalities, citizens associations and primary care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, from the participants' perspective, the Tipi-Tapa experience during 2012-2017 to identify the main successes and failures and share proposals of continuity and improvement. METHOD: Mixed methods design with a qualitative core component and a supplementary questionnaire to all participants from 13 municipalities. The Chi-squared test was used to compare percentages. In the qualitative study, a purposive sampling was applied considering participants' profiles through nine focus groups and 10 individual interviews. The interviews were audio recorded with previous consent. A thematic analysis was performed using conceptual maps and the MAXQDA software. Triangulation among researchers was done in a research-learning context. RESULTS: We analysed 464 questionnaires; 64% from women and 36% from men. The participants' mean age was 69.8 years; 75% were older than 65 years. The general satisfaction was 9.05/10 with significant differences in favour of women, older age groups and widows. In the qualitative study, 43 women and 37 men participated. Three main thematic areas were identified based on category coding and overlap: a) it is not just walking; b) organization, values and persons; and c) collaborative keystones and future challenges. CONCLUSIONS: The health benefits perceived by participants go beyond physical exercise, with important implications for social interaction and cohesion. The complexity of the processes assessed entails methodological, organizational and collaborative requirements.

High Performance Seesaw Torsional CMOS-MEMS Relay Using Tungsten VIA Layer.

In this paper, a seesaw torsional relay monolithically integrated in a standard 0.35 µm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is presented. The seesaw relay is fabricated using the Back-End-Of-Line (BEOL) layers available, specifically using the tungsten VIA3 layer of a 0.35 µm CMOS technology. Three different contact materials are studied to discriminate which is the most adequate as a mechanical relay. The robustness of the relay is proved, and its main characteristics as a relay for the three different contact interfaces are provided. The seesaw relay is capable of a double hysteretic switching cycle, providing compactness for mechanical logic processing. The low contact resistance achieved with the TiN/W mechanical contact with high cycling life time is competitive in comparison with the state-of-the art.

Optimization of the Close-to-Carrier Phase Noise in a CMOS-MEMS Oscillator Using a Phase Tunable Sustaining-Amplifier.

In this paper, the phase noise of a 24-MHz complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor microelectromechanical systems (CMOS-MEMS) oscillator with zero-level vacuum package is studied. We characterize and analyze the nonlinear regime of each one of the modules that compose the oscillator (CMOS sustaining-amplifier and MEMS resonator). As we show, the presented resonator exhibits a high nonlinear behavior. Such a fact is exploited as a mechanism to stabilize the oscillation amplitude, allowing us to maintain the sustaining-amplifier working in the linear regime. Consequently, the nonlinear resonator becomes the main close-to-carrier phase noise source. The sustaining amplifier, which functions as a phase shifter, was developed such that MEMS operation point optimization could be achieved without an increase in circuitry modules. Therefore, the system saves on area and power, and is able to improve the phase noise 26 dBc/Hz (at 1-kHz carrier frequency offset).

CMOS-NEMS Copper Switches Monolithically Integrated Using a 65 nm CMOS Technology.

This work demonstrates the feasibility to obtain copper nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) relays using a commercial complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology (ST 65 nm) following an intra CMOS-MEMS approach. We report experimental demonstration of contact-mode nano-electromechanical switches obtaining low operating voltage (5.5 V), good ION/IOFF (10³) ratio, abrupt subthreshold swing (4.3 mV/decade) and minimum dimensions (3.50 µm × 100 nm × 180 nm, and gap of 100 nm). With these dimensions, the operable Cell area of the switch will be 3.5 µm (length) × 0.2 µm (100 nm width + 100 nm gap) = 0.7 µm² which is the smallest reported one using a top-down fabrication approach.