SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION

UNIT – I - OVERVIEW OF MEMS AND MICROSYSTEMS – SECA3007

 I. Introduction
(Title of chapter -- Times New Roman- Bold – Font Size 14 and Centred)

The term MEMS is an abbreviation of microelectromechanical system. A MEMS contains

components of sizes in 1 micrometre (µm) to 1 millimetre (mm). A MEMS is constructed to achieve
a certain engineering function or functions by electromechanical or electrochemical means. The core
element in MEMS generally consists of two principal components.
1. a sensing or actuating element and
2. a signal transduction unit.
Figure 1. Illustrates the functional relationship between these two components in a microsensor

Figure 1. MEMS as a microsensor

Micro sensors are built to sense the existence and the intensity of certain physical, chemical,
or biological quantities, such as temperature, pressure, force, sound, light, nuclear radiation, magnetic
flux, and chemical compositions. There are many different types of microsensors developed for a
variety of applications, and they are widely used in industry, Common sensors include biosensors,
chemical sensors, optical sensors, and thermal and pressure sensors. There are many other types of
microsensors that are either available in the marketplace or being developed. They include chemical
sensors for detecting chemicals or toxic gases such as CO, CO 2, NO, O3, and NH3, etc. either from
exhaust from a combustion or a fabrication process, or from the environment for air quality control.

Figure 2. Illustrates the functional relationship between the actuating element and the
transduction unit in a microactuator. The transduction unit converts the input power supply into the
form such as voltage for a transducer, which functions as the actuating element. One popular
actuation method involves electrostatic forces generated by charged parallel conducting plates, or
electrodes separated by a dielectric material such as air.

The application of input voltage to the plates (i.e., the electrodes in a capacitor) can result in
electrostatic forces that prompt relative motion of these plates in normal direction of aligned plates
or parallel movement for misaligned plates. These motions are set to accomplish the required actions.
Electrostatic actuation is used in many microactuators. One such application is in a microgripper si
shown in the figure 3.
 Figure.2 MEMS as a microactuator.

Figure.3 MEMS using electrostatic actuation

Microsystem:
A microsystem is an engineering system that contains MEMS components that are designed
to perform specific engineering functions. MEMS components can be produced in the size of
micrometres.
A microsystem includes three major components of micro sensors, actuators, and a processing
unit as shown in the Figure 4
 Signals received by a sensor in a microsystem are converted into forms compatible
with the actuator through the signal transduction and processing unit. Example airbag
deployment system in an automobile
Microsystem Products
 Microgears.
 Micromotors.
  Microturbines.
 Micro-optical components,

Figure.4 Components of a microsystem

Microsystems and Microelectronics

There are significant differences in the design and packaging of microsystems from that of
integrated circuits and microelectronics.
 Microsystems involve more different materials than microelectronics. Polymers and
metallic materials are common in microsystems produced by LIGA processes.
Packaging materials for microsystems include glasses, plastic, and metals, which are
excluded in microelectronics
 Microsystems are designed to perform a greater variety of functions than
microelectronics. The latter are limited to specific electrical functions only.
 Many microsystems involves moving parts such as microvalves, pumps, and gears.
Many require fluid flow through the systems such as biosensors and analytic systems.
Micro-optical systems need to provide input/output (I/O) ports for light beams.
Microelectronics does not have any moving component or access for lights or fluids.
 Integrated circuits are primarily a two-dimensional structure that is confined to the
silicon die surface, whereas most microsystems involve are in three dimensions.
Mechanical engineering design is essential in the product development of
microsystems
 The integrated circuits in microelectronics are isolated from the surroundings once
they are packaged. The sensing elements and many core elements in microsystems,
should be in contact with working media, which creates many technical problems in
design and packaging.
  Manufacturing and packaging of microelectronics are mature technologies with well-
documented industry standards. The production of microsystems is far from that level
of maturity. In microsystems, the packaging of these products is in its infant stage at
the present time
Table 1.1Comparison of Microelectronics and Microsystems
Microelectronics Microsystems
Uses Single crystal silicon die, silicon Uses single-crystal silicon die and few other
compounds and plastic materials such as GaAs, quartz, polymers and
metals
Transmits electricity for specific electric Performs a great variety of specific biological
functions chemical, electromechanical and optical
functions
Stationary Structures Primarily 2-D structures May involve moving Components
Complex 3-D structures
Complex patterns with high density over Simpler patterns over substrates
substrates
Fewer components in assembly Many components to be assembled
IC die is completely protected from contacting Sensor die is interfaced with contacting media
media
Mature IC design methodology Lack of engineering design methodology and
standards
Large number of electrical feed throughs and Fewer electrical feedthroughs and leads
leads
Industrial standards available No industrial standards to follow
Mass production Batch production or on customer-needs basis
Fabrication techniques are proved and we Many microelectronics fabrication techniques
documented can be used for production
Manufacturing techniques are proved and well Distinct manufacturing techniques
documented
Packaging technology is relative well Packaging technology is at the infant stage
established

MICROSENSORS:
A sensor is a device that converts one form of energy into another and provides the user with a usable
energy output in response to a specific measurable input. Different types of Microwave sensors are
 Acoustic Wave Sensors
 Biomedical Sensors and Biosensors
 Chemical Sensors
 Optical Sensors
 Pressure Sensors
 Thermal Sensors

1. Acoustic Wave Sensors

The principal application of an acoustic wave sensor is to measure chemical compositions in
a gas. These sensors generate acoustic waves by converting mechanical energy to electrical.
 Acoustic wave devices are also used to actuate fluid flow in microfluidic systems. Actuation
energy for this type of sensor is provided by two principal mechanisms: piezoelectric and
magnetostrictive.
2. Biomedical Sensors and Biosensors
BioMEMS encompasses
 biosensors,
 bio instruments and surgery tools and
 systems for biotesting and analysis for quick, accurate, and low-cost testing of
biological substances
Major technical issues involved in the application of MEMS in biomedicine are:
 Functionality for biomedical operations
 Adaptivity to existing instruments and equipment
 Compatibility with biological systems of patients
 Controllability, mobility, and easy navigation for operations such as those required
in a laparoscopy surgery
 Fabrication of MEMS structures with a high aspect ratio, defined as the ratio of
the dimensions in the depth of the structure to the dimensions of the surface.
There are generally two types of sensors used in biomedicine:
1. Biomedical sensors and
2. biosensors.
Biomedical sensors:
It’s used to measure biological substances as well as for medical diagnosis purposes. The
miniaturized biomedical sensors have many advantages like they need minute amount of samples and
can perform analyses much faster. Electrochemical sensors work on the principle that certain
biological substances, such as glucose in human blood can release certain elements by chemical
reaction, these elements can alter the electricity flow pattern in the sensor, which can be readily
detected, a small sample of blood is introduced to a sensor with a polyvinyl alcohol solution. Two
electrodes are present in the sensor; a platinum film electrode and a thin Ag/AgCl film is shown in
figure 6. The chemical reaction takes place between the glucose and the oxygen in the polyvinyl
alcohol solution
Glucose + 02  gluconolactone + H2O2
The H2O2 produced by this chemical reaction is electrolyzed by applying a potential to the platinum
electrode, with production of positive hydrogen ions, which will flow toward this electrode. The
amount of glucose concentration in the blood sample can thus be measured by measuring the current
flow between the electrodes

Figure 6. Biomedical sensor tor measuring glucose concentration

 Biosensors work on the principle of the interaction of the analytes that need to be detected
with biologically derived biomolecules, such as enzymes of certain forms, antibodies, and other forms
of protein. These biomolecules, when attached to the sensing elements, can alter the output signals
of the sensors when they interact with the analyte. Figure7 illustrates how these sensors are made to
function. Proper selection of biomolecules for sensing elements (chemical, optical, etc., as indicated
in the right box in the figure) can be used for the detection of specific analyte.

Figure 7. Schematic of biosensors

Simple Analyte system:
A simple analyte system used in biotesting and analysis uses a capillary electrophoresis (CE)
network, as illustrated in Figure 8. It consists of two capillary tubes of diameter in the order of 30µm.
The sample injection reservoir A and the analyte waste reservoir A' is connected and the other longer
channel is connected to the buffer solvent reservoirs B and B’. A sample containing the species S1,
S 2, S3 with different electro-osmotic mobilities is injected into A. Applying an electric field between
terminals A and A’ prompts the flow of the injected samples from A to A’. A congregation of the
sample forms at the intersection of the two channels because of higher resistance to the flow at that
location A high voltage electric field is then switched to the terminals B and B' This electric field can
drive the congregated sample in the buffer solvent to flow from reservoir B to B'. The species in the
sample can separate in this portion of the flow because of their inherent differences in electro-osmotic
mobility.

Figure 8. Schematic diagram of a capillary electrophoresis system

Chemical Sensors:
Chemical sensors are used to sense particular chemical compounds, such as various gas species.
The working principle of this type of sensor is Significant oxide layer builds up over the metal surface
can change material properties such as the electrical resistance of the metal. Measuring the change of
electrical resistance in a metallic material as a result of the chemical reaction of oxidation. The
presence of oxygen as detected by a chemical sensor by natural oxidation of a metal, and the physical
sizes of the samples are on the microscale.
1. Chemiresistor sensors.
Organic polymers are used with embedded metal inserts. These polymers change the electric
conductivity of metal when it is exposed to certain gases. For an example, a special polymer called
phthalocyanine is used with copper to sense ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gases.
2. Chemicapacitor sensors.
Some polymers can be used as the dielectric material in a capacitor. The exposure of
these polymers to certain gases can alter the dielectric constant of the material, which in turn
changes the capacitance between the metal electrodes. An example is to use
polyphenylacetylene (PPA) to sense gas species such as CO, CO2, N2. and CH4

Figure 9. Working Principle of Chemical Sensors

3. Chemimechanical sensors:
There are certain materials, e.g., polymers, that change shape when they are exposed
to chemicals (including moisture). Such chemicals can be found by measuring the change of
the dimensions of the material. An example of such sensor is a moisture sensor using pyraline
P1-2722.
4. Metal oxide gas sensors:
This type of sensor works on a principle similar to that of chemiresistor sensors.
Several semiconducting metals, such as Sn02, change their electric resistance after absorbing
certain gases. The process is faster when heat is applied to enhance the reactivity of the
measurand gases and the transduction semiconducting metals. Figure 10 illustrates a
microsensor based on the semiconducting material Sn0 2, [Kovacs 1998]
 Figure 10. A typical metal oxide gas sensor
Optical Sensors:
Devices that can convert optical signals into electronic output have been developed and utilized
in many consumer products such as television. Micro-optical sensors have been developed to sense
the intensity of light. Solid-state materials that provide strong photon-electron interactions are used
as the sensing materials. Figure 11 illustrates the four fundamental optical sensing devices
 Figure 11. Optical sensing devices
The photovoltaic junction in Figure 11.a can produce an electric potential when the more
transparent substrate of semiconductor A is subjected to incident photon energy. The produced
voltage can be measured from the change of electrical resistance in the circuit by an electrical bridge
circuit. Figure 11b illustrates a special material that changes its electrical resistance when it is exposed
to light. The photodiodes in Figure 11c are made of p- and n-doped semiconductor layers. The
phototransistors in Figure 11d are made up of p-, n-, and p-doped layers. As illustrated in these
figures, incident photon energy can be converted into electric current output from these devices. All
the devices illustrated in Figure 11 can be miniaturized in size and have extremely short response
time in generating electrical signals. They are excellent candidates for micro-optical sensors.
Selection of materials for optical sensors is principally based on quantum efficiency, which is
a material's ability to generate electron-hole pairs (electron output) from input photons.
Semiconducting materials such as silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) are common materials
used for optical sensors. GaAs has superior quantum efficiency and thus higher gains in the output,
but is more costly to produce. Alkali metals such as lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and
rubidium (Rb) are also used for this type of sensor. The most commonly used alkali metal is cesium
(Cs).
Pressure Sensors
These sensors function on the principle of mechanical deformation and stresses of thin
diaphragms induced by the measurand pressure. Mechanically induced diaphragm deformation and
stresses are then converted into electrical signal output through several means of transduction.
There are generally two types of pressure sensor: absolute and gage pressure sensors. The
absolute pressure sensor has an evacuated cavity on one side of the diaphragm. The measured
pressure is the "absolute" value with vacuum as the reference pressure. In the gage pressure type, no
evacuation is necessary.
 Figure 12.Cross sections of micro pressure sensors
There are two different ways to apply pressure to the diaphragm. With back side
pressurization, as illustrated in Figure 12.a, there is no interference with signal transducer, such as a
piezoresistor, that is normally implanted at the top surface of the diaphragm. The other way of
pressurization, i.e., front-side pressurization, Figure 12.b, is used only under very special
circumstances because of the interference of the pressurizing medium with the signal transducer.
The sensing element is usually made of thin silicon die varying in size from a few micrometers
to a few millimeters square. A cavity is created from one side of the die by means of a
microfabrication technique. The top surface of the cavity forms the thin diaphragm that deforms
under the applied pressure from the measurand fluid. The thickness of the silicon diaphragm usually
varies from a few micrometers to tens of micrometers. A constraint base made of metal (called a
header) or ceramic (Pyrex glass is a common material) supports the silicon die. The deformation of
the diaphragm by the applied pressure is transduced into electrical signals by various transduction
techniques, as will be described later in this section. The assembly of the sensing elements as shown
in Figure 12, together with the signal transduction element is then packaged into a robust casing made
of metal, ceramic, or plastic with proper passivation of the die.
 Figure 13. Micro Pressure sensor Assembly
Figure 13 schematically illustrates a packaged pressure sensor, the top view of the silicon die
shows four piezoresistors (R1, R2, R3, and R4, implanted beneath the surface of the silicon die. These
piezoresistors convert the stresses induced in the silicon diaphragm by the applied pressure into a
change of electrical resistance, which is then converted into voltage output by a Wheatstone bridge
circuit as shown in the figure. The piezoresistors are essentially miniaturized semiconductor strain
gages, which can produce the change of electrical resistance induced by mechanical stresses. In the
case illustrated in Figure 13, the resistors R1 and R3 are elongated the stresses induced by the applied
pressure. Such elongation causes an increase of electrical resistance in these resistors, whereas the
resistors, R2 and R4, experience the opposite resistance change. These changes of resistance as
induced by the applied measurand pressure are measured from the Wheatstone bridge in the dynamic
deflection operation mode as

= −
+ +
Where , and , are respectively measured voltage and supplied voltage to the Wheatstone
bridge
Thermal Sensors:
Thermocouples are the most common transducer used to sense heat. They operate on the
principle of electromotive force (emf) produced at the open ends of two dissimilar metallic wires
when the junction of the wires (called the bead) is heated. The temperature rise at the junction due to
heating can be correlated to the magnitude of the produced emf, or voltage. These wires and the
junction can be made very small in size. By introducing an additional junction in the thermocouple
circuit, as shown in Figure 14.b, and exposing that junction to a different temperature than the other,
one would induce a temperature gradient in the circuit itself. This arrangement of thermocouples with
both hot and cold junctions can produce the Seebeck effect. The voltage generated by the
thermocouple can be evaluated by V = β∆T in which β is the Seebeck coefficient and ∆T is the
temperature difference between the hot and cold junctions. The coefficient β depends on the
thermocouple wire materials and the range of temperature measurements.

Figure 14. Schematics of thermocouples

One serious drawback of thermocouples for micro thermal transducers is that the output of
thermocouples decreases as the size of the wires and the beads is reduced. Thermocouples alone are
thus not ideal for microthermal sensors. A micro thermopile is a more realistic solution for
miniaturized heat sensing. Thermopiles operate with both hot and cold junctions, but they are
arranged with thermocouples in parallel and voltage output in series. Materials for thermopile wires
are the same as those used in thermo­couples- copper/constantan (type T), chrome/alumel (type K)

Figure 15 Schematic arrangement tor a thermopile

The voltage output from a thermopile can be obtained by the following expression
∆V = Nβ∆T
Where N= number of thermocouple pairs in the thermopile
Β= thermoelectric power of the two thermocouple materials
∆T= temperature difference across the thermocouples, K
The overall dimension of the silicon chip on which the thermopile was built is 3.6 mm X 3.6 mm X
20 µm thick. A typical output signal of 100 mV was obtained from a 500 K blackbody radiation
source of Q= 0.29 mW/cm2 with a response time of about 50 ms.

Figure16. Schematic of a microthermopile

MICROACTUATION:
The actuator is a very important part of a microsystem that involves motion. Four principal means
are commonly used for actuating motions of microdevices:
 thermal forces
 shape memory alloys
 piezoelectric crystals and
 electrostatic forces.
An actuator is designed to deliver a desired motion when it is driven by a power source. The driving
power for actuators varies, depending on the specific applications. An on/off switch in an electric
circuit can be activated by the deflection of a bimetallic strip as a result of resistance heating of the
strip by electric current.
1. Actuation Using Thermal Forces:
 Bimetallic strips are actuators based on thermal forces. These strips are made by bonding two
materials with distinct thermal expansion coefficients.
 The strip will bend when is heated or cooled from the initial reference temperature because
of incompatible thermal expansions of the materials that are bonded together.
 It will return to its initial reference shape once the applied thermal force is removed.
 The two constituent materials have coefficients of thermal expansion, α 1 and α2, respectively,
with a α1 > α2. The beam made of the bimetallic strips will deform from its original straight
shape to a bent shape shown in the right of the figure when it is heated by external sources
 The beam is expected to return to its original shape after the removal of the heat.
 Figure 17. Thermal actuation of dissimilar materials

2. Actuation Using Shape-Memory Alloys:

 Microactuation can be produced more accurately and effectively by using shape memory
alloys (SMA) such as Nitinolor, or TiNi alloys. They tend to return to their original shape
at a preset temperature.
 An SMA strip originally in a bent shape at a designed preset temperature T is attached to
a silicon cantilever beam. The beam is set straight at room temperature.
 Heating the beam with the attached SMA strip to the temperature T would prompt the
strip's memory" to return to its original bent shape.
 The deformation of the SMA strip causes the attached silicon beam to deform with the
strip, and microactuation of the beam is thus achieved. This type of actuation has been
used extensively in micro rotary actuators, micro joints and robots, and microsprings

Figure 18. Microactuation using shape memory alloys

3. Actuation Using Piezoelectric Crystals:

 An electric voltage can be generated across the crystal when an applied force deforms the
crystal as shown in the Figure 19. By attaching such a crystal to a flexible silicon beam in
a microactuator is shown in the Figure 20
 An applied voltage across the piezoelectric crystal prompts a deformation of the crystal,
which can in turn bend the attached silicon cantilever beam.
 Figure 19. The piezoelectric effect.

Figure 20 Actuator using a piezoelectric crystal

4. Actuation Using Electrostatic Forces:
 Electrostatic forces are used as the driving forces for many actuators. Accurate assessment
of electrostatic forces is an essential part of the design of many micromotors and actuators
 Coulomb's Law- Electrostatic force F is defined as the electrical force of repulsion or
attraction induced by an electric field E.
 Figure 21 represents two charged plates separated by a dielectric material (i.e. an electric
insulating material) with a gap d. The plates become electrically charged when an
electromotive force (emf), of voltage, is applied to the plates. This action will induce
capacitance in the charged plates, which can be expressed as

= =

where A is the area of the plates and , is the relative permittivity

Figure. 21 Electric potential in two parallel plates

  The charges that are stored in either plate can be discharged instantly by short circuiting
the plates with a conductor. The energy associated with this electric potential can be
expressed as
1
=− =
2 2
 The designation of forces indicated in Figure 22, expressions for the two forces in the two
directions

1
=
2
In width direction
1
=
2
In Length direction

Figure. 22 Electrostatic forces on parallel plates

Micromotors:
There are two types of micromotors that are used in micromachines and devices: Linear motors and
rotary motors. The actuation forces for micromotors are primarily electrostatic forces. The sliding force
generated in pairs of electrically energized misaligned plates,prompts the required relative motion in a linear
motor.
The working principle is based on the linear motion between two sets of parallel base plates. Each of
the two sets of base plates contains a number of electrodes made of electric conducting plates. All these
electrodes have a length W

Figure 23. Working principle of electrostatic micromotors

 • The bottom base plate has an electrode pitch of W whereas the top base plate has a slightly different
pitch, say W+ W/3 . The two sets of base plates are initially misaligned by W/3.
• We may set the bottom plates as stationary so the top plates can slide over the bottom plates in the
horizontal plane.
• Thus, on energizing the pair of electrodes A and A' can cause the motion of the top plates moving to
the left until A and A' are fully aligned.
• At that moment, the electrodes B and B' are misaligned by the same amount, W/3.
• One can energize the misaligned pair B - B' and prompt the top plates to move by another W/3 distance
toward the left.
• We may envisage that by then the C-C' pair is misaligned by W/3 and the subsequent energizing of
that pair would produce a similar motion of the top plates to the left by another distance of W/3.
• The motion will be completed by yet another sequence of energizing the last pair, D-D'
• We may thus conclude that with carefully arranged electrodes in the top and bottom base plates and
proper pitches, one can create the necessary electrostatic forces that are required to provide the relative
motion between the two sets of base plates.
• It is readily seen that the smaller the preset misalignment of the electrode plates, the smoother the
motion becomes. Rotary micromotors can be made to work by a similar principle
• A major problem in micromotor design and construction is the bearings for the rotors

Micromotors built on the principles of electrostatic forces are described in de­tail by Fan. Rotary
motors driven by electrostatic forces can be constructed in a similar way. Figure 23 shows a top view of an
electrostatically driven micromotor. The electrodes are installed in the outer surface of the rotor poles and the
inner surface of the stator poles. As in the case of linear motors, pitches of electrodes in rotor poles and stator
poles are mismatched in such a way that they will generate an electrostatic driving force due to misalignment
of the energized pairs of electrodes.

Figure 24 Schematic of a micro rotary motor

 The ratio of poles in the stator to those in the rotor is 3:2. The air gap between rotor poles and stator
poles can be as small as 2 µm. The outside diameter of the stator poles is in the neighborhood of I00 µm,
whereas the length of the rotor poles is about 20 to 25 µm. One serious problem that is encountered by
engineers in the design and manufacture of micro rotary motors is the wear and lubrication of the bearings.
Typically these motors rotate at over I0,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). With such high rotational speed,
the bearing quickly wears off, which results in wobbling of the rotors. Much effort is needed for the solution
of this problem. Consequently, micro tribology, which deals with friction, wear and lubrication, has become a
critical research area in microtechnology.

Microvalves:
Microvalves are primarily used in industrial systems that require precision control of gas flow for
manufacturing processes, or in biomedical applications such as in controlling the blood flow in an artery.
These valves are used as a principal component in microfluidic systems for precision analysis and separation
of constituents. Microvalves operate on the principles of microactuation is shown in Figure 25. The heating of
the two electrical resistor rings attached to the top diaphragm can cause a downward movement to close the
passage of flow. Removal of heat from the diaphragm opens the valve again to allow the fluid to flow. The
diaphragm is 2.5 mm in diameter and is 10 µm thick. The heating rings are made of aluminum 5 µm thick.
The valve has a capacity of 300 cm3/min at a fluid pressure up to 100 psi, and 1.5 W of power is required to
close the valve at 25 psig pressure.

Figure 25 Schematic diagram of a micro valve

Microaccelerometers:
• Accelerometer is an instrument that measures the acceleration (or deceleration) of a moving solid.
• Microaccelerometers are used to detect the associated dynamic forces in a mechanical system in
motion. These accelerometers are widely used in the automotive industry
• For example, acceleration sensors in the ±2g range are used in a car's suspension system and antilock
braking system (ABS), whereas ±50g range acceleration sensors are used to actuate air bags for driver
and passenger safety in event of collision with another vehicle or obstacles.
• The notation g represents the gravitational acceleration, with a numerical value of 32 ft/S2 or 9.81
m/s2.
 Figure 26. Typical arrangement of an accelerometer
• Principal components of an accelerometer are a mass supported by springs.
• The mass is often attached to a dashpot that provides the necessary damping effect.
• The spring and the dashpot are in turn attached to a casing, as illustrated in Figure.26
• In the case of micro accelerometers, significantly different arrangements are necessary because of the
very limited space available in microdevices.
• A minute silicon beam with an attached mass (often called a seismic mass) constitutes a spring--mass
system, and the air in the surrounding space is used to produce the damping effect.
• The structure that supports the mass acts as the spring. A typical microaccelerometer is illustrated in
Figure.27 The mass is attached to a cantilever beam or plate, which is used as a spring

Figure 27. Schematic structure of a microaccelerometer

• A piezoresistor is implanted on the beam or plate to measure the deformation of the attached mass,
from which the amplitudes and thus the acceleration of the vibrating mass can be correlated.
• Since acceleration (or deceleration) is related to the driving dynamic force that causes the vibration of
the solid body to which the casing is attached, accurate measurement of acceleration can thus enable
engineers to measure the applied dynamic force.
• It is not surprising to find that microaccelerometers are widely used as a trigger to activate airbags in
automobiles in an event of collision, and also to sense the excessive vibration of the chassis of a vehicle
from its suspension system.
• There are many different types of accelerometers available commercially. Signal transducers used in
microaccelerometers include piezoelectric piezoresistive, capacitive, and resonant members

Figure 28 Schematic arrangement of a micro inertia sensor

• The sensing element, i.e., the accelerometer, has a special configuration as illustrated in Figure 28.a
• A thin beam is attached to two tethers at both ends. The tethers are made of elastic material and are
anchored at one side as shown in the figure.
• The thin beam acts as the seismic mass called the proof mass with an electrode plate attached.
• The electrode plate that is attached to the proof mass is placed between two fixed electrodes
• In the event of an acceleration of the unit, the proof mass will displace in the direction opposite to the
acceleration, as shown in Figure 28.b
• The movement of the proof mass induced by the acceleration can be correlated with the capacitance
change between the pair of the electrodes.