Acceleration-induced frequency-shifts in quartz resonators

Extensive experimental and theoretical results are presented to support the hypothesis that the shape and location of the active region of vibration of a thickness-shear-mode quartz resonator is the dominant factor in determining the acceleration sensitivity of the resonator. The shape and location of the mode in a real-world resonator vary sufficiently from unit to unit due to material and processing variations that the effect swamps out all other considerations. It is shown theoretically and experimentally that the mode shape and/or location can be trimmed by judicious addition or subtraction of mass to produce resonators with improved acceleration sensitivity