A Seismic-Grade Resonant MEMS Accelerometer

We report on the characterization of a high-resolution micromachined resonant accelerometer fabricated in an SoI-microelectromechanical (MEMS) foundry process. A prototype device demonstrated scale factor of 142.8 Hz/m/s2, dynamic range of >140 dB, and noise-limited resolution that is comparable with existing high-resolution macroscale seismometers. Experimental characterisation detailing the benchmarking of the MEMS prototype relative to an existing macroscale seismometer shows that the MEMS device tracks the passive ambient seismic response measured by a macroscale seismometer (Guralp systems CMG-3TD) over a measurement bandwidth extending from near dc (0.02 Hz) up to 100 Hz.

[1]  Xudong Zou,et al.  Micro-electro-mechanical resonant tilt sensor , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium Proceedings.

[2]  Robert G. Walmsley,et al.  An ultra-low noise MEMS accelerometer for seismic imaging , 2011, 2011 IEEE SENSORS Proceedings.

[3]  J. Wu,et al.  Hewlett packard's seismic grade MEMS accelerometer , 2011, 2011 IEEE 24th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.

[4]  Takao Aizawa,et al.  Application of MEMS accelerometer to geophysics , 2008 .

[5]  Thomas P. Swiler,et al.  In-plane MEMS-based nano-g accelerometer with sub-wavelength optical resonant sensor , 2008 .

[6]  D. Mougenot,et al.  Benefits of MEMS Based Seismic Accelerometers for Oil Exploration , 2007, TRANSDUCERS 2007 - 2007 International Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conference.

[7]  Ashwin A. Seshia,et al.  A vacuum packaged surface micromachined resonant accelerometer , 2002 .

[8]  Jonathan J. Bernstein,et al.  Low-noise MEMS vibration sensor for geophysical applications , 1999 .

[9]  T. A. Roessig,et al.  Surface-micromachined resonant accelerometer , 1997, Proceedings of International Solid State Sensors and Actuators Conference (Transducers '97).

[10]  Ashwin A. Seshia,et al.  Integrated Micromechanical Resonant Sensors for Inertial Measurement Systems , 2002 .