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Electret accelerometers: physics and dynamic characterization.

J Hillenbrand1, S Haberzettl, T Motz

  • 1Institute for Telecommunications Technology, Darmstadt University of Technology, Merckstrasse 25, D-64283 Darmstadt, Germany. j.hillenbrand@nt.tu-darmstadt.de

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|June 21, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed new capacitive accelerometers using the electret principle. These lightweight, inexpensive sensors offer good sensitivity and performance, potentially replacing traditional piezoelectric accelerometers.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Sensor Technology
  • Physics

Background:

  • Electret microphones are widely used due to their simple, low-cost design and excellent acoustic properties.
  • Most structure-borne sound sensors (accelerometers) currently rely on the piezoelectric effect.
  • There is a need for alternative accelerometer designs that are sensitive, lightweight, and inexpensive.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To construct, build, and characterize novel capacitive accelerometers based on the electret principle.
  • To investigate the performance of these electret accelerometers with varying design parameters.
  • To develop a model for predicting the sensitivity of electret accelerometers.

Main Methods:

  • Construction of capacitive accelerometers using a metallic seismic mass, electret film, polymer ring, and metallic backplate.
  • Dynamic characterization using an electrodynamic shaker and external charge/voltage amplifiers.
  • Investigation of sensors with varied seismic masses, air gaps, and electret voltages.

Main Results:

  • Measured charge sensitivities ranged from 10 to 40 pC/g.
  • Voltage sensitivities were recorded between 600 and 2000 mV/g.
  • Resonance frequencies varied from 1.5 to 3 kHz, with a model showing good agreement with experimental data.

Conclusions:

  • Sensitive, lightweight, and inexpensive capacitive accelerometers utilizing the electret principle can be successfully constructed.
  • These electret accelerometers demonstrate promising performance characteristics.
  • The developed model accurately describes the charge and voltage sensitivity of the fabricated sensors.