Massive Optomechanical Navigation Accelerometer (MONA)

High performance linear accelerometers with low SWaP, wide operating temperature range, and low cost are required to improve tactical IMUs to strategic grade for long-range weapons guidance without GPS. The ATA/Sandia Team is proposing the Massive Optomechanical Navigation Accelerometer (MONA), a MEMS integrated with an optical wave guide (zipper cavity). MONA will utilize a state-of-the-art optomechanical transduction scheme coupled to a large MEMS inertial sensing mass to enable incredibly high sensitivities. As a fundamental part of the design, the structure will be designed with high reliability and manufacturability, accomplished by the separation of the thin films needed for the optical transduction from the much larger bulk silicon inertial sensing structure. MONA has the potential for very high performance with extremely low SWaP and cost. Initial analysis of MONA shows promise of a small, rugged, low power accelerometer in a relatively small package (~0.25 in3). The Phase I effort will focus on the design, fabrication, and the characterization of the MONA Engineering Development Unit (EDU) where the MEMS accelerometer is integrated with the optical detector. The MONA EDU is a critical laboratory experiment unit to demonstrate the physical principles and concept feasibility to achieve the required IMU improvements.