A Micro-Resonator-Based Programmable Hysteresis Comparator

In this work, the design and experimental results of a micro-electro-mechanical resonator-based programmable hysteresis comparator are presented. The resonator-based hysteresis comparator consists of a doubly-clamped micro-beam and side electrodes. The hysteresis comparator is implemented using the bifurcation characteristic of the resonator vibration. The comparator input, which is a dc voltage applied on a side electrode, modulates the nonlinearity of the resonator's output. The comparator is designed such that the resonator's drive frequency determines the hysteresis window size. Experimental results are obtained to verify the hysteresis programmability of the hysteresis comparator. This resonator-based comparator shows stable electrical properties and demonstrates high durability due to the non-contact operation. The hysteresis comparator has a wide tuning range and consumes ultra-low off-state current which opens up new possibilities for the internet of things and biomedical applications that need low power consumption.