ISOLATED PLANAR MESOGYROSCOPE

• US 20070084042A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology, The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology, The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Challoner, A., Shcheglov, Kirill
• Granted Patent: US 7,624,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/592.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5684 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/435 Solid dielectric type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49007 Indicating transducer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

An inertial sensor includes a mesoscaled disc resonator comprised of micro-machined substantially thermally non-conductive wafer with low coefficient of thermal expansion for sensing substantially in-plane vibration, a rigid support coupled to the resonator at a central mounting point of the resonator, at least one excitation electrode within an interior of the resonator to excite internal in-plane vibration of the resonator, and at least one sensing electrode within the interior of the resonator for sensing the internal in-plane vibration of the resonator. The inertial sensor is fabricated by etching a baseplate, bonding the substantially thermally non-conductive wafer to the etched baseplate, through-etching the wafer using deep reactive ion etching to form the resonator, depositing a thin conductive film on the through-etched wafer. The substantially thermally non-conductive wafer may comprise a silicon dioxide glass wafer, which is a silica glass wafer or a borosilicate glass wafer, or a silicon-germanium wafer.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a mesoscaled resonator for an inertial sensor, comprising:

etching a baseplate;

bonding a substantially thermally non-conductive wafer to the etched baseplate; and

through-etching the substantially thermally non-conductive wafer to form a mesoscaled resonator with capacitive electrodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wafer is a silicon-germanium wafer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wafer is a silicon dioxide glass wafer, and the method further comprises:

depositing a thin conductive film on the through-etched wafer; and

selectively etching the thin conductive film to render the through-etched wafer electrically conductive without otherwise effecting electrical interconnect wiring thereon.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the silicon dioxide glass wafer is a silica glass wafer or a borosilicate glass wafer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the through-etching is performed using deep reactive ion etching.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the through-etching of the wafer forms a case wall for the inertial sensor.

7. A mesoscaled resonator for an inertial sensor fabricated using the method of claim 1.