High-G Microelectromechanical Accelerometer

Microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS) offer an excellent opportunity for high reliability, small-package systems for applications in industry and defense. Micromachining techniques used in conjunction with standard commercial CMOS technology result in low cost devices that also have integral electronics necessary for required preconditioning and control of the MEMS. The proposed effort employs a MEMS cantilever accelerometer sensor with special design modifications for high-g applications. The device will have on-board electronics for functional control and signal analysis, fabricated in commercial CMOS foundries. This will keep the device relatively inexpensive yet reliable and compatible with standard computer interfacing. Phase I research will analyses the high-g response of new cantilever-style accelerometer designs. An array of accelerometers with minimum of electronic I/O will be designed and fabricated in a commercial CMOS foundry. Post-processing will develop the accelerometer itself. The accelerometer chip will be tested for robustness, sensitivity and precision. Phase II research and development will entail high-g testing capability verification. A full system will be designed employing a three-axis accelerometer device with computational capabilities. The completed system will then be fully tested. The design goal is for packaging suitable for munitions style guidance.