Substrate-decoupled, bulk-acoustic wave gyroscopes: Design and evaluation of next-generation environmentally robust devices

摘要

Scientists in the USA have developed a device for measuring rotation that is resilient against shock and vibration. A team led by Diego Serrano at Qualtré Inc. fabricated a micrometer-scale gyroscope that is decoupled from motion in the substrate on which it is built. Micromachined gyroscopes usually comprise a low-frequency resonant cantilever or membrane, and rotation is detected through a corresponding change in the resonance pattern of the resonator. However, such devices are susceptible to external sources of vibrations. Serrano’s team created a device known as a bulk acoustic wave gyroscope that is made of a disk of silicon and supports high frequency resonance inherently resistant to random external vibrations. The disk is surrounded by a series of electrodes that can fine tune the properties of the disk to further improve performance.