On the effects of temperature and relative humidity on the response of a MEMS arch resonator

In this paper, we present a comprehensive model to simulate the behavior of a general MEMS arch resonator under various thermal conditions. The model takes into account the changes in the microbeam's parameters, air properties and the internal stresses due to temperature and humidity. The continuous, flexible, initially curved microbeam was excited linearly and nonlinearly around both its first and third modal natural frequencies. It was found that the mutual effects of temperature and humidity on air viscosity is amplified over four times when the microbeam is operated in the nonlinear regime. Furthermore, results showed that the relative humidity influence is more severe at higher values of the temperature. Finally, the microbeam's frequency shift due to change in humidity increases when operating the microbeam at its third natural frequency compared to first natural frequency.