Lateral optical accelerometer micromachined in (100) silicon with remote readout based on coherence modulation

A novel type of optical silicon accelerometer is demonstrated. A non-conventional wet etching technique for (100) silicon allows us to make a highly symmetrical seismic mass with a pure lateral translation movement. This ensures a low sensitivity to accelerations that are not along the sensing axis....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Sensors and actuators. A, Physical Vol. 68; no. 1; pp. 344 - 349
Main Authors:	Schröpfer, Gerold, Elflein, Wilhelm, de Labachelerie, Michel, Porte, Henri, Ballandras, Sylvain
Format:	Journal Article Conference Proceeding
Language:	English
Published:	Lausanne Elsevier B.V 15-06-1998 Elsevier Science
Subjects:	Accelerometers Exact sciences and technology General equipment and techniques Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy Interferometers Optical instruments, equipment and techniques Optical-fiber sensors Physics Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing Silicon micromachining Accelerometers Silicon micromachining Optical-fiber sensors Fabrication Optical fibers Sensitivity Micromachining Silicon Sensors Experimental study Fabry-Perot interferometers
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Summary:	A novel type of optical silicon accelerometer is demonstrated. A non-conventional wet etching technique for (100) silicon allows us to make a highly symmetrical seismic mass with a pure lateral translation movement. This ensures a low sensitivity to accelerations that are not along the sensing axis. To detect the displacement of the seismic mass due to accelerations, an optical fiber can be easily and precisely implemented to form a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. A detection method based on coherence modulation allows remote acceleration sensing through a fiber-optic link without any electrical link between the measurement region and the signal output. The sensitivity of the demonstrated system is 1.8 V g −1 for a measurement range of ±10 g and a resolution of less than 1mg. Moreover, the fabrication technique and the multiplexing capability of the detection method open the way to a 3D single-chip accelerometer, the measurements of which could be sent directly through a single optical link.
ISSN:	0924-4247 1873-3069
DOI:	10.1016/S0924-4247(98)00065-X