Enhancement of Synchronization in Nonlinear MEMS Oscillator Based on Electrothermal Adjustment

Synchronization in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) typically encounters the impact of electrothermal phenomena, often in conjunction with piezoresistive detection or frequency tuning. However, the electrothermal effects on synchronization have not been previously explored. This paper investigates the electrothermal effects on synchronization bandwidth and frequency stability in a nonlinear MEMS arch oscillator. Experimental results demonstrate a non-monotonic pattern in synchronization bandwidth as electrothermal current increases, corroborated by theoretical models based on quality factors and equivalent nonlinearity. Drawing from theoretical analysis, which suggests that synchronization can be enhanced by adjusting feedback and perturbation strength, we achieved a 5.72-fold enhancement in synchronization bandwidth in our experiments. Furthermore, we observed that increased electrothermal significantly improves frequency stability. We developed a model based on the Allan deviation that incorporates electrothermal temperature to evaluate frequency stability, and this model successfully verified our experimental results. These experimental and theoretical findings highlight the potential of electrothermal effects to enhance synchronization and frequency stability in MEMS devices, paving the way for more robust sensor technology applications.