Parallel averaging for thermal noise mitigation in MEMS electrothermal displacement sensors

The sensitivity of an electrothermal displacement sensor increases with its temperature, whereas a higher temperature range leads to higher thermal noise level, which imposes a tradeoff on the sensor's achievable resolution. We have developed a multiple sensor displacement measurement technique on a 1-degree-of-freedom silicon-on-insulator microelectromechanical systems nanopositioner that mitigates the mentioned tradeoff. To obtain maximum improvement, it is necessary to supply equal power to all of the sensors to ensure equal sensitivity. By combining three identical sensors, we have successfully achieved a 4-dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, which is in a good agreement with the averaging theory. Experiments show that the displacement resolution is improved from 0.3 to 0.15 nm/√(Hz) in the prototype nanopositioner. Furthermore, improvement is possible by increasing the number of sensors around the stage.