Electrostatically force balanced silicon accelerometer
US5850042A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Dec 15, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01P2015/0828
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An accelerometer is fabricated by forming a proofmass and at least one associated hinge in a silicon substrate by ion implantation and the formation of an oxide support layer below the proofmass, subsequently integrally bonding two complementary proofmass and substrate structures together, and then removing the oxide support layer to leave the proofmass supported by the hinge within the body of silicon material. The proofmass may be electrically connected to a lead extending through an etched recess in one of the substrates; and the proofmass may be electrically isolated or separated from the substrates by an oxide layer and by a change in conductivity type of the semiconductor material where the hinge is structurally mounted to the substrates.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.