Area-variable capacitive microaccelerometer with force-balancing electrodes

Byeoungju Ha; Byeungleul Lee; Sangkyung Sung; Sangon Choi; Meenam Shinn; Yong-Soo Oh; Ci Moo Song

doi:10.1117/12.293548

14 November 1997 Area-variable capacitive microaccelerometer with force-balancing electrodes

Byeoungju Ha, Byeungleul Lee, Sangkyung Sung, Sangon Choi, Meenam Shinn, Yong-Soo Oh, Ci Moo Song

Proceedings Volume 3242, Smart Electronics and MEMS; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.293548
Event: Far East and Pacific Rim Symposium on Smart Materials, Structures, and MEMS, 1997, Adelaide, Australia

Abstract

A surface micromachined accelerometer which senses an inertial motion with an area variation and a force balancing electrodes is developed. The grid-type planar mass of a 7 micrometers thick polysilicon is supported by four thin beams and suspended above a silicon substrate with a 1.5 micrometers air gap. The motion sensing electrodes are formed on the substrate. The sensor is designed as an interdigital rib structure that has a differential capacitor arrangement. The moveable electrodes are mounted on the mass and the pairs of the stationary electrodes are patterned on the substrate. In the accelerometer that has comb-type movable electrodes, the mechanical stress and the electrical pulling effects between a moveable electrodes and the fixed electrodes occur. However this grid-type structure can have a large area variation in a small area relatively without stress and pulling, high sensitivity can be achieved. In order to improve the dynamic rang and a linearity, a pair of comb shape force-balancing electrodes are implemented on both sides of the mass. The force-balancing electrodes are made of the same layer as the mass and anchored on a silicon substrate. When acceleration is applied in the lateral direction, the difference of capacitance results from the area variation between the two capacitors and is measured using a charge amplifier. As AC coupled complimentary pick- off signals are applied in paris of stationary electrodes, the undesirable effects due to temperature and electrical noise are reduced effectively. The accelerometer has a sensitivity of 28mV/g and a bandwidth of DC-120Hz. A resolution of 3mg and a non-linearity of 1.3 percent is achieved for a measurement range of +/- 9 g.

Citation Download Citation

Byeoungju Ha, Byeungleul Lee, Sangkyung Sung, Sangon Choi, Meenam Shinn, Yong-Soo Oh, and Ci Moo Song "Area-variable capacitive microaccelerometer with force-balancing electrodes", Proc. SPIE 3242, Smart Electronics and MEMS, (14 November 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.293548

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