An Efficient Analysis of Amplitude and Phase Dynamics in Networked MEMS-Colpitts Oscillators

Abstract This paper explores the interactions of both phase and amplitude in a network of N MEMS-Colpitts oscillators that are resistively coupled. The numerical simulations of the extensive networks of oscillators, required for emerging applications such as clock synchronization and neuromorphic computing, become computationally prohibitive as the number of oscillators increases. This complicates the design and evaluation of such systems, as understanding the effects of changes in coupling and design parameters can require many simulations. This study employs the method of multiple scales (MS) in combination with the harmonic balance method to convert the coupled differential equations governing the system of oscillators into a set of nonlinear evolution equations for the amplitude and phase of the oscillators. The amplitude and phase evolve on a timescale that is slow, commensurate with the damping in the system, compared with the fast timescale of the oscillation frequencies. The approach used in this study to describe the amplitude and phase dynamics offers significant computational efficiency (gains of 10× to 50× are shown) compared to direct numerical integration while maintaining an accurate representation of the response. The results of the presented simulations demonstrate the effect of coupling strength on the dynamics of the network, accounting for both phase and amplitude dynamics.