This review provides a summary of work on the resonant nonlinear dynamics of micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. This research area, which has been active for approximately a decade, involves the study of nonlinear behaviors arising in small scale, vibratory, mechanical devices that are typically integrated with electronics for use in signal processing, actuation, and sensing applications. The inherent nature of these devices, which includes low damping, desired resonant operation, and the presence of nonlinear potential fields, sets an ideal stage for the appearance of nonlinear behavior. While nonlinearities are typically avoided in device design, they have the potential to allow designers to beneficially leverage nonlinear behavior in certain applications. This paper provides an overview of the fundamental research on nonlinear behaviors arising in micro-/nanoresonators, including direct and parametric resonances in individual resonators and coupled resonator arrays, and also describes the active exploitation of nonlinear dynamics in the development of resonant mass sensors, inertial sensors, and electromechanical signal processing systems. This paper closes with some brief remarks about important ongoing developments in the field.

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Background: This paper describes an analytical study of a bandpass filter that is based on the dynamic response of electrostatically-driven MEMS oscillators. Method of Approach: Unlike most mechanical and electrical filters that rely on direct linear resonance for filtering, the MEM filter presented in this work employs parametric resonance. Results: While the use of parametric resonance improves some filtering characteristics, the introduction of parametric instabilities into the system does present some complications with regard to filtering. Conclusions: The aforementioned complications can be largely overcome by implementing a pair of MEM oscillators with tuning schemes and some processing logic to produce a highly effective bandpass filter.

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