Biomedical Microsystems BM 658 Course Project 1

Customer Requirements:
Sr. Requirement Importance
1. Must have high sensitivity, preferably adjustable. 3
2. High resolution. 3
3. Easy readout of measured acceleration. 3
4. A single device to measure linear acceleration along three orthogonal axes. 2
5. Must have small size, and light weight 4
6. Must have good low frequency response, covering bandwidth of human motion. 5
7. Low noise 4
8. Low power consumption 3
9. Must be robust 3
10. High g shock & vibration resistant 2
11. Low drift due to errors, accurate, stable output 4
12. Must not be adversely affected by external electromagnetic fields 3
13. Wide operating temperature range 3
14. Resistant to temperature and humidity variations 3
15. Sufficient input acceleration range, 4
16. Easy interfacing of power supply & accessory electronic circuitry, if required. 3
17. Device must facilitate quick, easy calibration 3
18. Convenient attachment to the skin surface on a long term, without causing allergies, or other 3
inconvenience.
19. Low cost 3
20. Long operational life 3
(Priority 1<2<3<4<5)

Functional Specifications:
Metric Details Values Needs Priority
1. Ultra High Adjustments during fabrication: ~1 V/g 1,17 3
Sensitivity increasing the inertial proof mass (~100 nm/g)
decreasing the spring constant
increasing the reflectivity of the mirrors thus increasing the Finesse
User controlled sensitivity adjustments by

N.S.Ananthakrishnan MTech I Biomedical 05330002

Biomedical Microsystems BM 658 Course Project 2

increasing the input optical power to the photodiode.

adjusting spacing between the mirrors of the Fabry Perot cavity
externally, (aids in calibration )
using pulsed laser for activation

2. Potential Monolithic integration of the Fabry Perot Interferometer & photo (<500 for a 4,5 4
small size of sensor on a single wafer results in a compact device. As sensitivity single FPI-
device. can be controlled by a variety of factors other than increasing proof detector unit)
mass, small sizes can be achieved. Light source to be fabricated to
prevent undue increase in size.
This also makes it possible to construct devices with
accelerometers along more than one axis in a single package, or
even integrate them on a single chip, to acquire translation as well
as rotational motion data.(Inertial Measurement Unit with 6
degrees of freedom)
Light weight (<1g), with proof mass < 1g.
3. Improved Integration of FPI & photodetector results in minimum parasitic > 70 dB 7 4
SNR elements & reduced noise.
Arraying of NxN such sensors facilitated by small size. This could
improve SNR, with sensor data from NxN sensors averaged.
Using a pair of accelerometers in a differential mode to
compensate for supply variations light output variations.
Increasing incident optical power increases SNR.[proportional to
(LED current)]
At low frequencies, flicker noise can be reduced by modulating the
signal to higher frequencies using custom interface circuitry.
4. High Obtainable due to low noise & high sensitivity. ~(10 to 100) g 2 3
resolution
5. Resistance to Inherent resistance to Electro Magnetic Interference & Radio 9,12 2

N.S.Ananthakrishnan MTech I Biomedical 05330002

Biomedical Microsystems BM 658 Course Project 3

EMI, RFI Frequency Interference through use of passive optics, making it

suitable for harsh environments in this respect.
6. Suitability for No electrical signal required in Sensor Node, hence suitable for 18 4
biomedical biomedical applications. Encapsulation of device with
applications biocompatible materials could facilitate attachment to skin surface
for long hours with minimal inconvenience.
7. Low Cost Using a combination of bulk & surface micromachining. 19 3
Possibility of replacing much expensive gyroscopes
Much reduced electronic detection circuitry.
The finesse of the FPI could be enhanced for higher sensitivity &
resolution, at higher costs.
8. Operating Upper limit varied by adjusting damping of the system. 0 Hz upto ~kHz 6 4
frequency Arraying of multiple such sensors with slighly different geometries (bandwith of
could enhance frequency of the composite sensor array. human motion
0-18 Hz).
9. Input Achieved by adjusting the seismic mass & stiffness. > 10 g 15,10 4
acceleration Shock resistance can be achieved to some extent by increasing the
range input acceleration range (trade off between sensitivity &
acceleration range)
10. Linear output obtained by Force Balance. 3 4
operation in differential mode using pair of accelerometers with
outputs 180 out of phase
11. Power Design adjustments in light source & associated electronics 5 0.5 V 8 3
Supply Packaging
12. Resistance to Hermetic sealing of device, use of moisture rejecting sealants 14,20 4
humidity
13. Error due to Minimised to some extent during device calibration <0.001nm/C 13,14 4
temperature Suitable doping of substrate to reduce thermal expansion (<10 g/C)
Sensitivity coefficient than that of pure Si.
Space between mirrors could be made empty
Temperature compensation circuitry (increased complexity)

N.S.Ananthakrishnan MTech I Biomedical 05330002