A new characterization method for electrostatically actuated resonant MEMS: Determination of the mechanical resonance frequency, quality factor and dielectric charging

In this paper, a novel technique to characterize MEMS is described. The technique is based on electric admittance measurements of electrostatically actuated MEMS. It is capable of determining a number of characteristic parameters such as the unbiased (or true mechanical) resonance frequency, the unbiased quality factor and the residual voltage associated with dielectric charging. These parameters are extracted from the admittance measurements in a two-step computation procedure. They may serve as monitors of both mechanical and electrical changes in tested devices, which makes this technique an excellent tool for reliability assessment of various types of electrostatically driven MEMS.