Equivalent Force Analysis of a Schottky Depletion Layer MEMS Actuator

Depletion layer MEMS actuators have been demonstrated in the past in p-n junctions as well as Schottky barrier interfaces to be effective transducers for internal transduction of high Q MEMS resonators without the need for piezoelectric materials or small resonator-electrode gaps. However they remain under-utilized compared to conventional capacitive electrostatic and piezoelectric transducers, and consequently have scant analytical studies in literature. In this paper we present an analytical model based on equivalent force analysis to derive expressions for the displacement amplitude and transduction efficiency of a Schottky barrier embedded in a micro-cantilever resonator. The methodology presented here is widely applicable to any resonators conducive to excitation through internal transducers.