中国物理B ›› 2011, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (9): 97101-097101.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/20/9/097101

• CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES • 上一篇    下一篇

Detecting magnetic field direction by a micro beam operating in different vibration modes

陈洁, 秦明, 黄庆安   

  1. Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
  • 收稿日期:2011-04-11 修回日期:2011-05-11 出版日期:2011-09-15 发布日期:2011-09-15

Detecting magnetic field direction by a micro beam operating in different vibration modes

Chen Jie(陈洁), Qin Ming(秦明), and Huang Qing-An(黄庆安)   

  1. Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
  • Received:2011-04-11 Revised:2011-05-11 Online:2011-09-15 Published:2011-09-15

摘要: A new method to detect the magnetic field direction by using a silicon structure is presented in this paper. The structure includes a micro beam and an in-plane coil electrode. When the electrode under a magnetic field is applied with an alternating current, the micro beam is actuated under the effect of the Lorentz forces. Magnetic fields of different directions cause different vibration profiles. The direction of the magnetic field is obtained by measuring the vibration amplitudes of the micro beam, which is driven to work at first- and second-order resonant modes. A micro structure has been fabricated using the bulk micromachined silicon process. A laser Doppler vibrometer system is implemented to measure the vibration amplitudes. The experimental results show that the amplitude of the structure, which depends on the different modes, is a sine or cosine function of the angle of the magnetic field. It agrees well with the simulation result. Currently a resolution of 10° for the magnetic field direction measurement can be obtained using the detecting principle.

Abstract: A new method to detect the magnetic field direction by using a silicon structure is presented in this paper. The structure includes a micro beam and an in-plane coil electrode. When the electrode under a magnetic field is applied with an alternating current, the micro beam is actuated under the effect of the Lorentz forces. Magnetic fields of different directions cause different vibration profiles. The direction of the magnetic field is obtained by measuring the vibration amplitudes of the micro beam, which is driven to work at first- and second-order resonant modes. A micro structure has been fabricated using the bulk micromachined silicon process. A laser Doppler vibrometer system is implemented to measure the vibration amplitudes. The experimental results show that the amplitude of the structure, which depends on the different modes, is a sine or cosine function of the angle of the magnetic field. It agrees well with the simulation result. Currently a resolution of 10° for the magnetic field direction measurement can be obtained using the detecting principle.

Key words: beam, micro-electro-mechanical systems, Lorentz force, resonance

中图分类号:  (Theories and models of many-electron systems)

  • 71.10.-w
71.45.-d (Collective effects)