Characterization of the Viscoelastic Q-Factor of Electrically Actuated Rectangular Micro-Plates

Regarding the necessity of designing high Q-resonators in micro electromechanical systems, this paper investigates the viscoelastic behavior of a rectangular micro-plate subjected to electrical actuation. Equations governing the vibrations of the homogeneous plate were obtained on the basis of classical plate theory (Kirchhoff's model). The Kelvin–Voigt model was also employed to consider the viscoelastic properties. The Galerkin decomposition method was used for decomposition of the governing differential equations. Additionally, the effects of various parameters were investigated on the Q-factor. Furthermore, a Finite Element simulation is carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics. The verification of the proposed model was conducted by comparing the obtained results with those from previous studies which revealed the validity of the proposed approach and the accuracy of the assumptions made The suggested design approach proposed in this this study is expected to design high Q-factor micro resonators and may be used to improve the performance of many MEMS devices.

Keywords:

Electrical actuation , Micro-plate , MEMS , Q-factor , Viscoelasticity