Coupled MOEMS membranes for enhanced sensing purposes

摘要

The electromechanical actuation of two silicon nitride membranes forming a monolithic MOEMS is investigated. By controlling the tensile stress of the high quality membranes via a piezoelectrically controlled compressive force applied to the chip we demonstrate tuning of their mechanical spectrum, as well as strong intermode electromechanical coupling. Piezoelectric actuation is shown to enhance the nonlinear response of the membranes, which is evidenced by parametric amplification of the thermal fluctuations. Such a MOEMS array represents an attractive tunable and versatile platform for optomechanics and sensing applications.