ACCELEROMETERS

MEMS - GROUP ACTIVITY

Presented
Group

By:

11

Paramdeep Singh
(20135077)
Pratush Das
(20135088)
Praveen Pratap
(20135)

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

MEMS vs IC

INTRODUCTION

TYPES OF ACCELEROMETERS

WORKING PRINCIPLE

CAPACITIVE ACCELEROMETERS

CAPACITANCE BASICS

SENSING MECHANISM

FABRICATION PROCESS

CAPACITIVE ACCELEROMETER ADVANTAGES

APPLICATIONS

MEMS

VS

IC

Micro-Electrical-Mechanical-Systems are
on a single substrate.

Electrical Circuitry is integrated onto a

single board.

Move and Sense Mass

Move and Sense Electrons

Acts as Transducer

Acts as Sensor Only

- Sensor and Actuator

Smaller

Lighter

Economical

- Not Actuator

Larger in Size

Heavier in Weight

Costlier

INTRODUCTION - Accelerometer

Anaccelerometeris a device that measures the

vibration, or acceleration of motion of a structure.

The force caused by vibration or a change in

motion (acceleration) causes the mass to
"squeeze" the piezoelectric material which
produces an electrical charge that is proportional
to the force exerted upon it.

Since the charge is proportional to the force, and

the mass is a constant, then the charge is also
proportional to the acceleration.

Inertial Sensor

Types of accelerometers

Bulk Micromachined
Piezoresistive
Accelerometer

Hall Effect Accelerometer

Bulk Micromachined Piezoelectric
Accelerometer

Bulk Micromachined Capacitive

Accelerometer

WORKING

PRINCIPLE

{}

CAPACITIVE

ACCELEROMETERS

A capacitive accelerometer is a type of accelerometer device that measures

the acceleration on a surface using capacitive sensing techniques.

It has the ability to sense static and dynamic acceleration on equipment or

devices - enforced by human or mechanical forces - and converts this
acceleration into electrical currents or voltage.

A capacitive accelerometer is also known as a vibration sensor.

Capacitive accelerometers are widely implemented in computational and

commercial applications, such as airbag deployment sensors in
automobiles, human computer interaction (HCI) devices and smartphones.

Ignition of
airbag explosive

(AUTOMOTIVE)

CAPACITANCE

BASICS

= permittivity of material
A= overlapping area
d= separation between fingers

C change depends on l , w & d.

Capacitance change
,,

SENSING

MACHANISM

Two types:

Out-of-Plane Sensing
Change

in overlapping width (w).

In-Plane sensing
(a)

Lateral sensing Change in overlapping length (L)

Sensing

(b)

Transverse sensing

Change

in finger gap (d)

(a) Lateral

FABRICATION

PROCESS

Silicon

15m
2m

on insulator(SOI) wafer(i)
Cleaning
475
RCA 1
m
RCA 2
Oxidation(ii)
thickness of oxide layer ::7700 at 1050C
Photolithography(iii)
1st

level mask
prebaking
UV light exposer-15 sec
PR develop

silicon
oxide
silicon
oxide
silicon
oxide

(i)

(ii)

silicon
oxide
photoresi
st

Silicon
oxide
silicon
oxide

(iii)

FABRICATION
CONTD..

Silicon
oxide

SiO2 etch (iv)

buffer

PROCESS
silicon

HF

oxide
(iv)

oxide

etch rate 1000/min.

Silicon etch(v)
PR

removal

Anisotropic
TMHA
V

Si etch

solution used

groove formation

oxide
silicon
oxide

(v)

FABRICATION
CONTD..

SiO2 removal (vi)

Buffer HF

hanging structure

PROCESS
oxid
e

Metallization (vii)

2nd level mask

Al deposited

temp. 650C

(vi)

silicon

oxid
e

silicon

(vii)

ACCELEROMETER

FABRICATION

Accelerometer (1st level mask, PR developed)

photoresist

Accelerometer (SiO2 etched)

SiO2

Si

SiO2

Si

CAPACITIVE ACCELEROMETER
ADVANTAGES

High sensitivity.

Easy readout circuitry.

Independent of temperature variation.

Easy fabrication (two level mask).

Large noise margin.

Fabrication on silicon.

Compatible with CMOS technology.

APPLICATIONS
accelerometer

of

Engineering

Transport

Biology

Volcanology

Automotive Industry

Consumer Electronics

Building and Structural Monitoring

Motion

Medical

Orientation

Navigation

Image

Gravimetry

Device

Input
Sensing

Stabilization
Integrity

THANK
YOU