The broad application of microelectromechanical systems can be related to the different devices developed for a specific function. Mechanical resonators, filtering applications and temperature sensors are excellent examples of MEMS applications. However, due to the fast-growing demand for MEMS sensors and the harsh environments in which they are subjected (e.g., space exploration, dee-well drilling and fuel combustion), a pursuit for a semiconductor material that can endure these extreme conditions has been carried out. Further, temperature can affect the reliability and accuracy of semiconductor materials due to a narrow band gap (e.g., silicon 1.12 eV, gallium arsenide 1.441 eV and germanium 0.67 eV). Thus, the search for a semiconductor material with a wide energy band gap, high melting point and high electronic operation has generated many candidates (e.g. silicon carbide 2.3-3.2 eV and gallium nitride 3.4 eV, zinc oxide 3.37 eV). Using a wide band gap semiconductor material such as cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) allows the fabrication of MEMS devices that endure harsh environments. Additionally, temperature can be used as a positive factor to boost the overall performance of MEMS devices. The research aims to theoretically and experimentally investigate the coupling of thermal effects (e.g., the Joule heating effect, thermal stress and thermoelectric effect) with electro-mechanical properties of SiC (e.g., mechanical stress or strain, piezoresistive effect. SiC/Si heterojunction) to enhance the performance of MEMS devices. The first purpose of this study is to investigate the tunability of a silicon carbide mechanical resonator by coupling thermal stress and the Joule heating effect. The tunability range of the 3C-SiC structure would be evaluated with respect to the thermal energy generated via applied power. Furthermore, this research intends to examine the thermal-piezoresistive pumping in the double-layer structure (n+3C-SiC/n-3C-SiC resonator). The characteristics of the thermal-piezoresistive pumping are also evaluated under a broad range of applied voltage to prove its potential to enhance the effective quality factor. In addition, the possibility of enhancing the Seebeck coefficient by employing different 3C-SiC/Si heterojunctions is also examined. The result from this study implies the feasibility of coupling thermal effects to intrinsic properties of the 3C-SiC material to improve the overall performance of various MEMS devices. Moreover, the in-depth discussion of the use of temperature to enhance the performance of MEMS devices opens the door for the development of new temperature sensors and self-powered sensors. This thesis is prepared in a “thesis by publications” format. The published journal articles are presented in Chapters 3, 4 and 5 (submitted).