Abstract: A sensing method includes operating a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microbeam device; measuring structural vibrations of the MEMS microbeam device over time; selecting an operational frequency foperating that is applied to the MEMS microbeam device, where the operational frequency foperating is different from a jump frequency fJump of the MEMS microbeam device, and the MEMS microbeam device is characterized by a frequency response curve that has a linear part and a softening or hardening part, and the operational frequency foperating is selected to be in the linear part; conducting an analysis of the structural vibrations of the MEMS microbeam device based on a linear equation that relates an amplitude of the structural vibrations to a frequency from the linear part; and detecting a frequency difference between the operational frequency foperating and the jump frequency fJump of the MEMS microbeam device based on the linear equation.

Abstract: Sensors and active switches for applications in gas detection and other fields are described. The devices are based on the softening and hardening nonlinear response behaviors of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) clamped-clamped microbeams. In that context, embodiments of gas-triggered MEMS microbeam sensors and switches are described. The microbeam devices can be coated with a Metal-Organic Framework to achieve high sensitivity. For gas sensing, an amplitude-based tracking algorithm can be used to quantify an amount of gas captured by the devices according to frequency shift. Noise analysis is also conducted according to the embodiments, which shows that the microbeam devices have high stability against thermal noise. The microbeam devices are also suitable for the generation of binary sensing information for alarming, for example.