Control Design for MEMS Instruments based on Force Feedback
Abstract:
MEMS devices typically have resonances with low damping. They are also subject to a random disturbances such as, Brownian motion, Johnson-Nyquist noise, and tunneling noise. Variations in device parameters must also be accounted for. In this paper we will discuss principles for designing control systems for instruments based on MEMS devices with force feedback. It turns out that the fact that the final goal is to design an instrument gives an interesting formulation of the control problem. It is possible to separate the shaping of the frequency response from attenuation of disturbance. The principles have been applied to design of a tunneling accelerometer. Position control with standard deviations of fractions of an Angstrom have been demonstrated experimentally. The major part of the work has been done in Professor Turners laboratory at the University of California Santa Barbara.