High Resolution Strain Sensor

A resonant micromechanical device serves as a high-resolution strain sensor, exploiting the correlation between its mechanical resonance frequency and the applied force along its axis. Under such conditions, this frequency undergoes significant variations, analogous to a guitar string changing its tone when tuned. Manufactured using silicon micromachining techniques, the device is seamlessly integrated into a dedicated closed-loop electronic circuit, forming an ultra-low-noise oscillator locked at the fundamental mechanical resonance frequency of the microstructure. The oscillation frequency of this closed-loop circuit, incorporating the resonator, becomes a valuable sensing signal for strain.