Axially modulated arch resonator for logic and memory applications

• DOI: 10.1016/j.mechatronics.2018.01.004
• Publication Date: 2018-01-17T18:19:30Z
• Authors: Md Abdullah Al Hafiz; Sherif Tella; Nouha Alcheikh; Hossein Fariborzi; Mohammad I. Younis
• Keywords: Mechanical memory; Mechanical Engineering; 2208 Electrical and Electronic Engineering; 2210 Mechanical Engineering; 600; 02 engineering and technology; 7. Clean energy; Computer Science Applications; Clamped-guided arch resonator; Axial stress modulation; Electromechanical computation; 1706 Computer Science Applications; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; 0210 nano-technology

Abstract We demonstrate reconfigurable logic and random access memory devices based on an axially modulated clamped-guided arch resonator. The device is electrostatically actuated and the motional signal is capacitively sensed, while the resonance frequency is modulated through an axial electrostatic force from the guided side of the microbeam. A multi-physics finite element model is used to verify the effectiveness of the axial modulation. We present two case studies: first, a reconfigurable two-input logic gate based on the linear resonance frequency modulation, and second, a memory element based on the hysteretic frequency response of the resonator working in the nonlinear regime. The energy consumptions of the device for both logic and memory operations are in the range of picojoules, promising for energy efficient alternative computing paradigm.