COMBINED MAGNETOMETER ACCELEROMETER MEMS DEVICES AND METHODS
First Claim
1. A microelectromechanical (MEMS) device comprising:
- a structural member;
a plurality of supports suspending the structural member above a bottom electrode; and
a plurality of top electrical contacts, each top electrical contact associated with a support;
whereinthe structural member acts as a current carrying element for a magnetometer; and
the structural member acts as a proof mass for an accelerometer supporting concurrent use as a magnetometer and an accelerometer with the same structural MEMS element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Considerations for selecting capacitive sensors include accuracy, repeatability, long-term stability, ease of calibration, resistance to chemical and physical contaminants, size, packaging, integration options with other sensors and/or electronics, and cost effectiveness. It is beneficial if such sensors are amenable to above-IC integration with associated control/readout circuitry for reduced parasitics and reduced footprint through area sharing. The inventors have established a combined Lorentz force based magnetometer and accelerometer MEMS sensor exploiting a low temperature, above-IC-compatible fabrication process operating without requiring vacuum packaging. By switching an electrical current between two perpendicular directions on the device structure a 2D in-plane magnetic field measurement can be achieved whilst concurrently, the device serves as a 1D accelerometer for out-of-plane acceleration, by switching the current off and by monitoring the structure'"'"'s capacitive change in response to acceleration. The design can thus separate magnetic and inertial force measurements, utilizing a single compact device.
32 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A microelectromechanical (MEMS) device comprising:
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a structural member; a plurality of supports suspending the structural member above a bottom electrode; and a plurality of top electrical contacts, each top electrical contact associated with a support;
whereinthe structural member acts as a current carrying element for a magnetometer; and the structural member acts as a proof mass for an accelerometer supporting concurrent use as a magnetometer and an accelerometer with the same structural MEMS element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A microelectromechanical (MEMS) device comprising:
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a lower electrode on a substrate having a first electrical contact; and a diaphragm suspended above the substrate and lower electrode and supported by four beams each ending in a discrete electrical contact with a first pair of beams along a first edge of the diaphragm and a second pair of beams along a second opposite side edge of the diaphragm;
whereinthe first and second pairs of beams allow the diaphragm to move relative to the substrate during at least one of; a first mode of operation absent applying a current to any of the four beams wherein capacitance variations between the diaphragm and lower electrode are determined arising from acceleration of the MEMS device perpendicular to the diaphragm; a second mode of operation comprising applying a current to the first pair of beams wherein capacitance variations between the diaphragm and lower electrode are determined arising from at least one of acceleration of the MEMS device perpendicular to the diaphragm and a magnetic field in the plane of the diaphragm in first direction; and a third mode of operation comprising applying a current to a first beam of the first pair of beams and a second beam of the second pair of beams wherein first beam of the first pair of beams and the second beam of the second pair of beams are disposed on the same side of the diaphragm and capacitance variations between the diaphragm and lower electrode are determined arising from at least one of acceleration of the MEMS device perpendicular to the diaphragm and a magnetic field in the plane of the diaphragm in a second direction. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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Specification