A passive micromechanical frequency divider

Abstract

We report on the design and experimental characterization of a passive MEMS frequency divider that is based on a cascade of parametrically coupled nonlinear resonator vibration modes. The device is designed to have 1:2 frequency ratios between adjacent modes with an orientation that promotes the necessary nonlinear modal coupling. We characterize the fabricated device and map the normalized parametric instability parameter regions for the first two modes. We successfully activate the cascade by parametrically driving the second mode and, by operating in the intersection of the instability regions, the energy cascades to the first mode, resulting in an input-to-output frequency ratio of four.