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Updated: May 22, 2026
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Fabrication and Characterization of High-Q Silicon Nitride Membrane Resonators
Published on: August 8, 2025
An electromagnetically excited silicon nitride beam resonant accelerometer.
Deyong Chen1, Zhengwei Wu, Lei Liu
1Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratories of Transducer Technology, Beijing, P.R. China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 11, 2012
Summary
A novel resonant microbeam accelerometer design enhances performance. This highly symmetric MEMS structure improves scale factor and reduces cross-axis sensitivity for accelerometers.
Area of Science:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Resonant accelerometers offer high sensitivity and precision.
- Existing designs can suffer from cross-axis sensitivity and limited scale factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and model a novel, highly symmetric resonant microbeam accelerometer.
- To optimize the design for improved performance metrics.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing MEMS bulk-silicon technology for fabrication.
- Designing a structure with two proof masses and a central vibrating triple beam.
- Employing LPCVD silicon rich nitride for the resonant beam.
- Electromagnetic excitation and sensing via film electrodes.
- Performing numerical modeling and parameter optimization.
Main Results:
- The novel symmetric structure significantly increases the accelerometer's scale factor.
- Performance issues, including cross-axis sensitivity, are notably ameliorated.
- Simulation and experimental results validate the design's effectiveness.
Conclusions:
- The proposed highly symmetric resonant microbeam accelerometer design offers superior performance.
- This MEMS-based device presents a promising advancement in accelerometer technology.
