Design and performance test of an oscillation loop for a MEMS resonant accelerometer

Abstract

In this paper, the design, analysis and experimental results of the self-sustained oscillation loop for a tunable surface micromachined resonant accelerometer, ACRC-RXL are presented. The fabrication process of the mechanical structure is also illustrated. For the oscillation loop analysis, an operator-theoretical approach is applied based on the describing function technique. Using the analytical results, feedback parameters are designed and the expected loop performance is characterized. Then the accelerometer system is practically implemented using the mechanical structure and signal processing electronics. The experimental results show that the developed accelerometer has a performance of bias stability of about 0.7 mg and a dynamic range over 10 g, which satisfies the navigation-graded sensor performance.