| This thesis presents preliminary work in the development and application of a commercial MEMS process to the field of Radio Frequency MicroElectroMechanical Systems (RF MEMS). Specifically, a micromechanical resonator is discussed. An electrostatically actuated cantilever beam with a resonant frequency in the low kHz range is designed, fabricated, and tested. In this work, a generalized, MEMS prototyping process, Micragem, developed by Micralyne Inc., is used, and, in collaboration with Micralyne, this microfabrication process is further developed. Optical and electrical characterization methods were developed to sense the displacement (and ultimately the resonant frequency) of the device. |
