Advanced High-g Accelerometers in Small Form Factor for Inertial Measurement Unit Applications

Missile defense applications currently expose inertial measurement units (IMUs) to harsh acceleration, shock, and vibration environments. Furthermore, as missile defense systems become smaller and more complex, they present tighter constraints on size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C), while still requiring high levels of performance in addition to operation through radiation environments. New accelerometer technology must reduce SWaP-C while operating through high-g acceleration environments that are three times higher than current state of the art while not significantly reducing sensitivity and resolution. MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) technology provides potential solutions to these challenges. However, the micro-scale features of MEMS accelerometers that enable SWaP-C benefits also tend to reduce performance capabilities. This proposed SBIR effort will develop a reduced SWaP-C MEMS accelerometer that will operate in these rugged shock, vibration, temperature, and radiation environments. Phase I of the effort will determine the feasibility of a resonant MEMS accelerometer for harsh environment applications, as well as potential fabrication approaches. The Phase II effort will then prototype the device, as well as and characterize its performance under the anticipated environmental conditions.Approved for Public Release | 17-MDA-9395(24 Oct 17)