Three-axis capacitive accelerometer

Performance requirements for seismometer are high resolution, low noise level, durability and so on. We propose a differential capacitive 3-axis SOI accelerometer with novel vertical comb electrodes. Features are (1)single proof mass from SOI wafer, (2)simple fabrication flow by only surface-micromachining and (3)fully differential in all the 3-axis. To make an accelerometer for seismometer come true, we find out the factors which influence the characteristics like noise level or transverse sensitivity of the accelerometer.

Journal Article

Toshiyuki Tsuchiya, Hirofumi Funabashi, “A z-axis differential capacitive SOI accelerometer with vertical comb electrode”, Sensors and Actuators A116 pp.378-383 (2004).

Toshiyuki Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki Hamaguchi, Koji Sugano, Osamu Tabata, “Design and fabrication of a differential capacitive three-axis SOI accelerometer using vertical comb electrodes”, IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Vol.4, No.3, pp. xxx-xxx (2009).

Conference Presentation

H. Hamaguchi, K. Sugano, T. Tsuchiya and O. Tabata, “A Differential Capacitive Three-Axis SOI Accelerometer using Vertical Comb Electrodes” ,The 16th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors,　Actuators and Microsystems (Transducers’07), pp.1483-1486, (2007) 

H. Hamaguchi, K. Sugano, T. Tsuchiya and O. Tabata, “A Differential Capacitive Three-Axis SOI Accelerometer Using Vertical Comb Electrodes” , Proceeding of the sensor symposium on sensors micromachines and applied systems, vol.23, pp.471-476, (2006)