Silicon membrane gyroscope with electrostatic actuation and sensing

Presented here are preliminary results on a resonant gyroscope that is very simple to fabricate. It is made using both silicon and glass substrates, and involves the minimum of mask steps. Actuation and detection are all achieved via capacitive means. The minimum rotation rate that has been able to be sensed is 300 degrees/s; improvements in the manufacturing process could reduce this to as low as 0.07 degrees/s before the rate detection would become limited by electrical noise.