MEMS Sensor

MECHENG 405
K.C. Aw

Note: Some of the materials are based on Prof. Mark Bachman of UCI
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Bulk micromachined pressure sensor

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Surface micromachined pressure sensor

Commercial Pressure Sensor

Surface micromachined pressure sensor from

Integrated Sensing System, Inc

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Capacitive based MEMS pressure sensors

Optical based MEMS pressure sensors

Optical patch changes with membrane deflection and is measured using spectrometer.

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MEMS Microphone

MEMS microphones that uses capacitive sensing.

MEMS microphone (Akustica)

„ Technology
‰ Array of Teflon-like
diaphragms on Si substrate
‰ Uses FM modulation for
read-out
„ Issues
‰ Close spacing of
diaphragms is difficult for
beam forming methods to
obtain directionality (at
1kHz, wavelength = 85 mm)

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Commercial MEMS Microphone

Commercial MEMS microphone – Knowles SiSonic SP0103N

MEMS microphone (piezoresistive)

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MEMS microphone (piezoelectric)

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Accelerometer
Automotive application requirements:
„ Anti-lock braking system ± 1 g
„ Vertical body motion ± 2 g
„ Wheel motion ±40 g
„ Air bag deployment ±50 g
„ Steering feedback ± 100o/s
„ Shock survivability 500 g, 1 m drop to concrete
„ Frequency response
‰ 0 - 5 Hz vertical
‰ 0.5 - 50 Hz, horizontal
‰ 1 kHz, air bags
„ Temperatures
‰ -40 C to 85 C
‰ -40 C to 125 C under hood
„ Miscellaneous 200 V/m, hermetic seal

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 Accelerometer – Basic Principles
(Spring-mass device)

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Accelerometer with strain gauge

Modern accelerometer with strain gauge. Note use of bulk etched silicon
and glass (bonded by anodic bonding). Lucas NovaSensor.

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Accelerometer with strain gauge

Bulk etched silicon and pyrex glass bonded together. Used for monitoring
heart wall accelerations. Roylance and Angell (1979)

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Accelerometer with strain gauge

„ Accelerometer with strain gauge

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Accelerometer with piezo-electric sensing

„ Piezo-electric output using ZnO piezoelectric

material

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Accelerometer with capacitive sensing

„ Asymmetric plate construction of

accelerometer with capacitive pickup

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Typical calculations

„ Typical calculation for bending cantilever

style accelerometer

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Typical calculations

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Typical calculations

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MEMS Accelerometers
„ Surface micromachining: Analog Devices, e.g.
ADXL-50

Introduced in 1991, and

in volume production by
1993 for car airbags.

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Force balanced-capacitive accelerometer
ADXL-50

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Force balanced-capacitive accelerometer

ADXL-50

Electronics uses balanced signal and electrostatic force for feedback.

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3-axis accelerometer

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Another spring-mass system: Resonators

Capacitive accelerometer can act as a resonator if damping is removed.

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MEMS Resonator

If device is small the resonant frequency can be very high.

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Resonator

E – Young’s modulus
ρ - density
tc – cantilever thickness
lc – cantilever length

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Resonator

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MEMS Accelerometer
„ Silicon Designs, Inc
‰ Silicon Design's accelerometers use capacitance
change due to acceleration force as the sensed
parameter.

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MEMS Accelerometer
„ The sense element wing is a flat plate of nickel
supported above the substrate surface by two
torsion bars attached to a central pedestal.
„ The structure is asymmetrically shaped so that one
side is heavier than the other, resulting in a center
of mass that is offset from the axis of the torsion
bars.
„ When an acceleration force produces a moment
around the torsion bar axis, the plate or wing is free
to rotate, constrained only by the spring constant of
the torsion bars.
„ On the substrate surface, beneath the sense
element wing, two conductive capacitor plates are
symmetrically located on each side of the torsion
bar axis. The upper wing and the two lower
capacitor plates on the substrate form two air-gap
variable capacitors with a common
connection. This creates a fully active capacitance
bridge. When the wing rotates about the torsion bar
axis, the average distance between the wing and
one surface plate decreases, increasing the
capacitance for that plate, while the distance to the
other plate increases, decreasing its capacitance.

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Optical MEMS

„ Application
‰ Scanners
‰ Projectors

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MEMS microphone (optical)

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What is a Gyroscope?

„ A device that can measure

angular motion or
displacement
„ Applications
‰ Aerospace:
„ Inertial guidance systems
‰ Automotive:
„ Angular rate sensors (for
traction control, etc.)
‰ Entertainment/consumer:
„ Virtual reality sensors,
pointing devices, etc.
‰ Industrial automation:
„ Motion control, robotics

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Gyroscope Principles

„ Principle of operation
‰ The simplest gyroscopes
use a high speed,
rotating inertial disk that
is loosely coupled to the
frame holding it.
‰ A rotation in the frame
imparts a torque
(rotation) on the spinning
disk, which precesses
(rotates) as a result
(conservation of angular
momentum).

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Gyroscope Principles

„ Practical uses usually

limit the movement to
measure only one axis
of rotation (roll, pitch or
yaw).
„ The induced torque is
monitored by a meter
which counteracts the
torque with springs or a
similar restoring force.

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Problems for MEMS gyroscopes

„ MEMS processes cannot produce devices

with large inertial masses, nor can they
produce freely “spinning” disks.
„ Even the best MEMS motors still quickly slow
down and stop if not externally actuated. The
inertial mass of the wheels is very, very
small. Furthermore, they cannot be made so
that they process freely in 3D.

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MEMS Gyroscope principles

„ Coriolis effect
‰ Motion in a rotating
reference frame leads to
“sideways” movement.
‰ Can’t walk a straight line
in a rotating reference
(merry-go-round) without
exerting a sideways force
(or acceleration).

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MEMS Gyroscope principles

„ Constrained motion
means a force is
imparted.
„ By measuring the
imparted force (or its
effect on an oscillator),
we can measure the
angular velocity. Almost
all MEMS gyroscopes
use this feature.

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MEMS Gyroscope principles

„ Tuning fork gyroscope

‰ A tuning fork is simple
example of the Coriolis
effect and how it can be
used to monitor angular
motion.
‰ By measuring the amplitude
of oscillation in the
sideways direction, the
angular motion can be
deduced. Used in Daimler
Benz AG MEMS gyroscope.

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MEMS Gyroscope principles
„ Vibrating ring gyroscope
‰ A ring is flexured back and
forth in resonant mode. The
Coriolis effect induces
flexure that is sideways
(and out of phase) with the
driving flexure.
‰ Since the Coriolis force
vibrates the ring sideways,
it produces a second mode
of vibration which adds to
the first. The result is a
“rotation” of the mode
pattern of the ring. Most
MEMS gyros use this
method in closed-loop
mode.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Examples

„ Delco Electronics
Corp.
‰ Vibrating ring assembly
electroformed on CMOS
substrate.
‰ Device is freestanding
metal. High precision
capacitance circuits
monitor ring vibration and
provide electrostatic
actuation for closed loop
operation.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Examples

„ Silicon Sensing Systems

‰ (Formerly British Aerospace
Systems) VSG ring sensor.
‰ Device is freestanding
metal silicon with metal
traces. External magnetic
field is applied and current
loops pass through the
device initiating movement.
‰ Other metal loops are used
to measure induced current.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Examples

„ Daimler Benz AG
‰ Tuning fork sensor
(process flow).
‰ Device is fabricated from
silicon with piezoelectric
actuator (Al Nitride) and
piezoresistive (diffused)
sensor. SOI wafers are
fusion bonded together to
form final device.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Examples

„ Roger Bosch GmbH

‰ Tuning fork with lateral
accelerometer.
‰ Device is fabricated from
silicon using surface and
bulk micromachining
methods.
‰ On top of large bulk
micromachined oscillator is
surface micromachined
accelerometer similar to the
ADXL series.
‰ Actuation is by external
magnetic field and inductive
current loops.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Examples

„ cont/-
„ Process flow
‰ Device is fabricated from
silicon using surface and
bulk micromachining
methods.
‰ Deep silicon etch
processes and MEMS
level packaging.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Examples

„ University of
California, Irvine
‰ Device made at UCI and
at Microfabrica
‰ Deep etched
micromachined vibrating
ring gyroscope.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Example Applications

„ Segway
‰ Silicon Sensing Systems
VSG ring sensor
“Dynamic Stabilization”
‰ Five sensors used to
monitor orientation of the
scooter, sampled at 100
times/second. Sensors
include VSG ring
gyroscopes and liquid-
filled tilt sensors.

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MEMS Gyroscope-Example Applications

„ Human motion
sensing
‰ Virtual Reality,
Human/Machine
interface/Gaming
‰ Consumer and game
markets require lower
performance specs and
lower costs.
‰ These represent an
emerging market for
inertial MEMS devices.

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