| Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have been the focus of many research groups because of their wide variety of uses in sensing and actuation applications. A fundamental barrier facing designers of next generation MEMS is the inability to access accurate, real-time microstructure positional information to determine if the device is performing as expected. Previously explored optical and electrical methods of MEMS device monitoring are often only suitable for research environments, or are unable to produce clear and meaningful characterization of device motion. The most desirable MEMS monitoring method would be one that could be implemented at the device level, which would allow the monitoring system to be fabricated along with the device itself. This research explores a through-wafer method of optically monitoring and characterizing the motion of a lateral comb resonator fabricated using the Multi-User MEMS Process Service (MUMPS). Positional monitoring results obtained from a 1.3 mum wavelength through-wafer optical probe are presented, as well as a method of device level implementation of the monitoring system. |
