Impact of slot location on thermoelastic dissipation in micromechanical resonators

The effect of thermoelastic dissipation as an energy loss mechanism in micromechanical resonators is described. Specifically, we demonstrate that slots in resonant beams disrupt the heat flow from thermoelastic dissipation and alter the quality factor. Fully coupled finite element solutions and experimental verification are used to show that the location of slots micromachined into the beams has a strong impact on the quality factor. Slots machined near the anchors and near the center of the beams are shown to have the strongest influence on quality factor. This is an indication of the complex interaction between the thermal and mechanical domains.