A Capacitive MEMS Inclinometer Sensor with Wide Dynamic Range and Improved Sensitivity

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel capacitive liquid metal microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inclinometer sensor and introduces its design, fabrication, and signal measurement. The sensor was constructed using three-layer substrates. A conductive liquid droplet was rolled along an annular groove of the intermediate substrate to reflect angular displacement, and capacitors were used to detect the position of the droplet. The numerical simulation work provides the working principle and structural design of the sensor, and the fabrication process of the sensor was proposed. Furthermore, the static capacitance test and the dynamic signal test were designed. The sensor had a wide measurement range from ±2.12° to ±360°, and the resolution of the sensor was 0.4°. This sensor further expands the measurement range of the previous liquid droplet MEMS inclinometer sensors.