A new miniaturized surface micromachined tunneling accelerometer

Author

Kubena, R.L. ; Atkinson, G.M. ; Robinson, W.P. ; Stratton, F.P.

Author_Institution

Hughes Res. Labs., Malibu, CA, USA

Volume

17

Issue

6

fYear

1996

fDate

6/1/1996 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

306

Lastpage

308

Abstract

The authors have fabricated a new class of miniaturized surface micromachined tunneling accelerometers. The accelerometer structures are fabricated on the surface of a single silicon wafer and consist of a single cantilevered beam with electrostatic deflection electrodes and tunneling tip underneath. The noise level resolutions in air of 100-μm and 250-μm-long cantilever devices are 8.3×10/sup -4/ g/Hz¹2/ and 8.5×10/sup -5/ g/Hz¹2/ at 500 respectively. The devices are operated in a force rebalance feedback mode using a low noise automatic servocontrol circuit, providing a dynamic range of over 10⁴ g. This new accelerometer technology provides devices with extremely high sensitivity, high bandwidth and wide dynamic range, in an ultracompact, low-cost package that is easily integrated with silicon control electronics.

Keywords

accelerometers; micromachining; microsensors; tunnelling; 100 micron; 250 micron; Si; automatic servocontrol circuit; bandwidth; cantilevered beam; dynamic range; electrostatic deflection electrodes; fabrication; force rebalance feedback mode; miniaturized tunneling accelerometer; noise level resolution; sensitivity; single silicon wafer; surface micromachining; ultracompact package; Accelerometers; Dynamic range; Electrodes; Electrostatics; Feedback circuits; Force feedback; Noise level; Silicon; Structural beams; Tunneling;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electron Device Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0741-3106

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/55.496466

Filename

496466