Researchers Develop Miniaturized MEMS Accelerometer with Enhanced Sensitivity
TL;DR
Novel miniaturized accelerometer boosts sensitivity, reduces noise, and maintains compact size, giving a competitive edge in high-precision applications.
Innovative anti-spring mechanism with pre-shaped curved beams achieves stiffness softening, reduced bias force, and displacement for increased sensitivity.
Advancement in MEMS accelerometer technology enables high-precision sensing in various fields, paving the way for better performance and miniaturization.
MEMS accelerometer design breakthrough with advanced anti-spring mechanism offers a compact, integrable solution for precise acceleration measurements.
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Researchers from ShanghaiTech University and the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology have developed a groundbreaking miniaturized accelerometer that significantly enhances sensitivity and precision while maintaining a compact design. The innovative device addresses long-standing challenges in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer technology by introducing an advanced anti-spring mechanism that reduces noise and improves performance.
The new accelerometer design employs two pre-shaped curved beams arranged in parallel, enabling stiffness softening with minimal bias force and displacement. This approach represents a substantial improvement over conventional accelerometer technologies, which typically require larger proof masses and more complex structures to achieve similar sensitivity levels.
Key performance metrics demonstrate the breakthrough's significance. The prototype, measuring just 4.2 mm × 4.9 mm, achieved a 10.4% increase in sensitivity to 51.1 mV/g and a 10.5% reduction in noise floor to 21.3 μg/√Hz. These improvements make the device particularly promising for high-precision applications such as earthquake detection, structural health monitoring, and inertial navigation systems.
Dr. Fang Chen, a lead researcher on the project, emphasized the design's potential to transform sensing technologies. By minimizing bias force while enhancing sensitivity, the team has created a more compact and integrable accelerometer that could enable more sophisticated and densely networked sensing systems.
The research, published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering, represents a significant step forward in MEMS technology. The novel anti-spring mechanism challenges existing design constraints, offering a pathway to develop smaller, more precise acceleration measurement devices across various industries.
Future research will focus on refining bias tuning structures and optimizing interface circuits to further improve the accelerometer's performance. The breakthrough suggests potential applications in fields requiring ultra-precise acceleration measurements, including aerospace, robotics, environmental monitoring, and advanced scientific instrumentation.
Curated from 24-7 Press Release
