Zero-Rate Output and Quadrature Compensation in Vibratory MEMS Gyroscopes

In this paper, issues related to the zero-rate output (ZRO) of a vibratory microgyroscope are studied. Different sources of the ZRO are discussed and how the effect of each source can be minimized and their stability improved is described. The effects of synchronous demodulation and electrostatic quadrature compensation performed with a dc voltage on the final ZRO are analyzed. Ways to implement the control loop for electrostatic quadrature compensation performed with a dc voltage are described, concentrating on a case where the compensation voltage is generated with a digital-to-analog converter and the controller is digital. In particular, extending the resolution with SigmaDelta techniques is studied. The experimental work shows the feasibility of the implemented quadrature compensation loop and analyzes the ZRO sources of one particular gyroscope implementation. How to perform the ZRO measurements in such a way that the various sources can be distinguished from each other is also described.