Reduction of vibration and mechanical shocks in MEMS gyroscopes for space application

Novel approach of reducing effect of vibration and mechanical shocks is proposed. It is particularly suitable for existing tuning fork MEMS gyroscopes. The idea is based on the O-factor reduction of those modes which could be actuated by external forces. It is demonstrated that when the adjustment is done selectively only non-operational modes are affected or the change of operation modes does not deteriorate the performance. The entire approach of selective adjustment of damping is first introduced with the help of analytical expression. The extent of achievable damping is experimentally verified by comparing damping of cantilevers before and after adjustment. The estimated damping is used in finite element analysis to demonstrate entire concept on tuning fork MEMS gyroscope. This approach could be used in harsh environments similar to those found in aerospace and defense segments.