High-shock silicon accelerometer with a plate spring

• Published in: International journal of precision engineering and manufacturing 2016-05, Vol.17 (5), p.637-644
• Main Authors: Lee, Jae Min, Jang, Chang Uk, Choi, Chang Jun, Kwon, Ki Beom, Han, Jeong Sam, Kwon, Nam Yeol, Ko, Jong Soo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Engineering; Industrial and Production Engineering; Materials Science
• ISSN: 2234-7593; 2005-4602
• DOI: 10.1007/s12541-016-0077-x

In this paper, a high-shock 2,000 g accelerometer with a plate spring has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The proposed accelerometer with a plate spring uses a device layer of an SOI (silicon on insulator) wafer. Moreover, the accelerometer has the merits of a simple fabrication process and the possibility of precisely controlling the thickness of the spring. In addition, the accelerometer has high structural stability because it is fabricated such that the plate spring surrounds the mass of the accelerometer. The detailed design dimensions of the proposed accelerometer were determined through an optimal design process. Furthermore, the proposed accelerometer was fabricated via MEMS processes. When a shock of 2,000 g was applied, the sensitivity of the fabricated accelerometer was 34.6 μV/g. When a shock within 2,000 g was applied, the non-linearity of the accelerometer was measured to be 1.4% or below. In addition, the transverse sensitivity of the fabricated accelerometer was 15% less than the measured sensitivity. The newly fabricated acceleration sensor showed stability to the extent that it was not destroyed even under a shock of 6,034 g, which was three times higher than the sensing range.