Abstract
We present a dynamic analysis and simulation of electrically actuated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators under primary-resonance excitation. We use a shooting technique, perturbation techniques, and long-time integration of the equation of motion to investigate the global dynamics of the resonators. We study the dynamic pull-in instability and show various scenarios and mechanisms for its occurrence. Our results show that dynamic pull-in can occur through a saddle-node bifurcation, a period-doubling bifurcation, or homoclinic tangling, depending on factors such as the initial conditions of the device and the level of the electrostatic force.