Silicon micromechanical accelerometer using an optical fiber

In this paper, a new type of silicon micro-mechanical accelerometer using an optical fiber is presented. The mechanical element of the accelerometer is fabricated by an unconventional wet etching process of silicon, resulting in symmetrically suspended seismic masses with a high lateral sensitivity and very low transverse sensitivities. By forming a Fabry-Perot cavity between the seismic mass and the output of an optical fiber, the acceleration can be sensed by measuring the optical path change. The feasibility of the accelerometer is demonstrated.