MEMS magnetic field source for frequency conversion approaches for ME sensors

Arbustini, J. et al. (2022) MEMS magnetic field source for frequency conversion approaches for ME sensors. Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering, 8(2), pp. 309-312. (doi: 10.1515/cdbme-2022-1079)

Abstract

Some magnetoelectric sensors require predefined external magnetic fields to satisfy optimal operation depending on their resonance frequency. While coils commonly generate this external magnetic field, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator integrated with permanent magnets could be a possible replacement. In this proof-of-concept study, the interaction of a MEMS resonator and the ME sensor is investigated and compared with the standard approach to achieve the best possible sensor operation in terms of sensitivity. The achievable sensor sensitivity was evaluated experimentally by generating the magnetic excitation signal by a coil or a small-sized MEMS resonator. Moreover, the possibility of using both approaches simultaneously was also analysed. The MEMS resonator operated with 20 Vpp at 1.377 kHz has achieved a sensor sensitivity of 221.21 mV/T. This sensitivity is comparable with the standard approach, where only a coil for sensor excitation is used. The enhanced sensitivity of 277.0 mV/T could be identified by generating the excitation signal simultaneously by a coil and the MEMS resonator in parallel. In conclusion, these MEMS resonator methods can potentially increase the sensitivity of the ME sensor even further. The unequal excitation frequency of the MEMS resonator and the resonance frequency of the ME sensor currently limit the performance. Furthermore, the MEMS resonator as a coil replacement also enables the complete sensor system to be scaled down. Therefore, optimizations to match both frequencies even better are under investigation.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Proceedings of the 2022 Joint Annual Conference of the Austrian (ÖGBMT), German (VDE DGBMT) and Swiss (SSBE) Societies for Biomedical Engineering, Innsbruck, Austria, 28-30 Sep 2022.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Heidari, Professor Hadi and Wang, Mr Huxi
• Authors: Arbustini, J., Muñoz, J., Wang, H., Elzenheimer, E., Hoffmann, J., Thormählen, L., Hayes, P., Niekiel, F., Heidari, H., Höft, M., Quandt, E., Schmidt, G., and Bahr, A.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering
• Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
• ISSN: 2364-5504
• ISSN (Online): 2364-5504
• Published Online: 02 September 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering 8(2): 309-312
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License