Search

We study the phenomenon of synchronization in pairs of doubly clamped, mechanically coupled silicon micro-oscillators. A continuous-wave laser beam is used to drive the micro-beams into limit cycle oscillations and to detect the oscillations using interferometry. Devices of different dimensions are used to introduce frequency detuning, and short silicon bridges connecting the micro-beams are used as mechanical coupling between the oscillators. The region of synchronization is plotted for the MEMS system in the detuning vs. coupling parameter space and compared with the numerical analysis of a corresponding, lumped-parameter model. Three states of oscillations are observed i.e. the drift state, quasi-periodic state, and the synchronized state. The numerical model also distinguishes between in-phase and out-of-phase synchronization where out-of-phase synchronization is observed at low coupling strengths and low frequency detuning., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Published in the Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems

In this work, we experimentally investigate the dynamics of pairs of opto-thermally driven, mechanically coupled, doubly clamped, silicon micromechanical oscillators, and numerically investigate the dynamics of the corresponding lumped-parameter model. Coupled limit cycle oscillators exhibit striking nonlinear dynamics and bifurcations in response to variations in system parameters. We show that the input laser power influences the frequency detuning between two non-identical oscillators. As the laser power is varied, different regimes of oscillations such as the synchronized state, the drift state, and the quasi-periodic state are mapped at minimal and high coupling strengths. For non-identical oscillators, coexistence of two states, the synchronized state and the quasi-periodic state, is demonstrated at high coupling and high laser power. Experimentally, this bistability manifests as irregular oscillations as the system rapidly switches between the two states due to the system's sensitive dependence on initial conditions in the presence of noise. We provide a qualitative comparison of the experimental and numerical results to elucidate the behavior of the system., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, revised Figs. 2, 5, 6, and 7 and associated text

Motivated by the dynamics of micro-scale oscillators with thermo-optical feedback, a simplified third order model, capturing the key features of these oscillators is developed, where each oscillator consists of a displacement variable coupled to a temperature variable. Further, the dynamics of a pair of such oscillators coupled via a linear spring is analyzed. The analytical procedures used are the variational equation method and the two-variable expansion method. It is shown that the analytical results are in agreement with the results of numerical integration. The bifurcation structure of the system is revealed through a bifurcation diagram., Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures