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Design and Characterization Methodology for Efficient Wide Range Tunable MEMS Filters
Published on: February 4, 2018
A new method for wideband characterization of resonator-based sensing platforms
Farasat Munir1, Adam Wathen, William D Hunt
1School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 791 Atlantic Dr., Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|April 5, 2011
Summary
This study introduces a new broadband characterization method for resonator sensors using white noise excitation. The technique offers a simpler, more accurate, and calibration-free alternative to traditional oscillator circuits for sensor data extraction.
Area of Science:
- Electronic Instrumentation
- Sensor Technology
- Signal Processing
Background:
- Traditional resonator sensor instrumentation relies on oscillator-based circuits for single-point frequency measurements.
- These methods capture limited information from the resonator's broadband response.
- Existing broadband excitation techniques often require complex signal design and precise impedance matching.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a novel broadband characterization method for resonator-based sensing devices.
- To provide a simpler, more accurate, and calibration-free alternative to conventional instrumentation.
- To enable enhanced data extraction from the full spectral response of resonators.
Main Methods:
- Utilized white noise as a broadband excitation signal for resonator sensors in a two-port filter configuration.
- Employed frequency spectrum analysis on the resonator output to generate a wideband spectral map.
- Validated the method through simulations and prototype implementation, measuring Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) and Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) resonators.
Main Results:
- The white noise method achieved high accuracy, with maximum relative differences of 0.0004% (SAW) and 0.002% (QCM) compared to network analyzer measurements.
- Demonstrated real-time tracking of resonance frequency shifts under temperature variations with high precision (5.53 ppm relative difference).
- The system requires no calibration and offers simplicity in circuit design, avoiding strict impedance matching requirements.
Conclusions:
- The proposed white noise broadband characterization method is a robust and accurate technique for resonator sensor instrumentation.
- Its simplicity, lack of calibration requirement, and immunity to interference make it suitable for portable, low-cost, and array-based sensing systems.
- Potential for system-on-a-chip implementation using digital signal processors (DSPs) for diverse sensor applications.
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