Abstract
Recent advances in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have advanced inertial sensor technology. For resonant gyroscopes, sensitivity scales with the maximum velocity of the resonating mass, as higher velocities amplify the Coriolis force for faster and more accurate inertial signal detection—critical in navigation applications. Conventional MEMS remain in linear regimes, with velocities typically below 5 m/s. A recent Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiative challenges researchers to push resonator speeds toward material fracture limits, targeting up to 200 m/s and exploring regimes dominated by strong nonlinearities. This work investigates velocity limits in piezoelectrically driven mechanical resonators imposed by nonlinear dynamics and material constraints. We experimentally demonstrate an AlN bimorph wedge resonator reaching 50 m/s, achieving a ten-fold improvement over current limits. These results highlight the feasibility of operating MEMS devices at much higher velocities, paving the way for next-generation inertial sensors with increased performance. The resonator operates at a higher-order mode near 1.81 MHz, with clear evidence of Duffing-type nonlinearities at large drive amplitudes, as confirmed in time-domain and frequency-domain measurements.
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This work is supported by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Transducers for Optimized Robust Nonlinear Actuation and Dynamic Operation with Speed (TORNADO). The authors thank Dr. Sunil Bhave and his team at DARPA for their creative vision, which has inspired us to investigate velocity limitations of resonating MEMS.
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Z.L., X.N., and E.V. conceived and managed the project, conducted experiments, collected and analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript. E.V. developed modeling frameworks, performed simulations, and characterized nonlinear dynamics. Y.M. assisted in experimental measurements and literature synthesis. S.K. contributed to simulation design, modeling refinement, and manuscript revisions. A.A. and R.L. provided critical feedback on the manuscript and project direction. N.H. supervised the research, secured funding, and guided strategic planning. All authors discussed results, reviewed the manuscript, and approved the final version.
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Communications Engineering thanks Tao Wu, Joshua Lee, and Roozbeh Tabrizian for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editors: [Parisa Esmaili] and [Wenjie Wang].
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Liu, Z., Niu, X., Vatankhah, E. et al. High-velocity laser Doppler vibrometry measurements on an aluminum nitride bimorph wedge resonator. Commun Eng (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-026-00595-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-026-00595-7
