2. INTRODUCTION
• An electromechanical device that measures acceleration forces
• First designed in 1979 at Stanford University.
• MEMS accelerometers revolutionized the automotive industry.
• Huge commercial potential.
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3. ACCELROMETER?
• An accelerometer is 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.
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9. CAPACTIVE ACCELEROMETER
• In bulk micro machined capacitive accelerometers the sensing element
typically comprises of a proof mass which can move freely between fixed
electrodes.
• The fixed electrode forms a capacitor with the proof mass which acts as a
common center electrode.
• The differential change in capacitance between the capacitors is proportional
to the deflection of the proof mass from the center position.
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10. WORKING PRINCIPLE
• External acceleration displaces the support frame relative to the proof mass,
which in turn changes the internal stress in the suspension spring. Both this
relative displacement and the suspension-beam stress can be used as a
measure of the external acceleration.
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15. DEVICE FABRICATION
• Poly-silicon surface-micromachining
I. MEMS microstructure
II. CMOS circuitry
• In this way aluminum inter connect in CMOS circuitry will not
be damaged due to the high-temperature process in MEMS
fabrication
16. THE FABRICATION STEPS
a) Pure silicon substrate.
b) Silicon nitride is deposited as the insulation layer.
(a) Silicon wafer
(b) Deposit Si3N4
17. THE FABRICATION STEPS
c) The Boron Silicate Glass is used as the
sacrificial layer
2µm thick
Etching
d) Application of photoresist and exposure to UV
light
(c) Deposit BSG sacrificial layer (2µm)
(d) Applying photoresist
18. THE FABRICATION STEPS
e) After exposing to the UV rays, the photo resist
is stripped from the wafer.
f) Poly silicon layer (3µm thick)
(e) Pattern BSG Layer for
anchors and fixed fingers
(f) Deposit poly-Si Structure layer
19. THE FABRICATION STEPS
g) The above two steps are repeated on the
poly silicon layer and etching is performed.
h) Removal of sacrificial layer to release movable
microstructures.
Cleaning
Packaging
(g) Pattern poly-Si layer for
devices structure
(h) Remove BSG sacrificial layer
21. SEM OF MEMS ACCELROMETERS
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[1] HTTPS://PDFS.SEMANTICSCHOLAR.ORG/50F1/85C6A7DCD1F4A70DB77CAAB4F9428111E444.PDF
[2] HTTP://MAFIJA.FMF.UNI-LJ.SI/SEMINAR/FILES/2007_2008/MEMS_ACCELEROMETERS-KONCNA.PDF