Method and structure of an integrated MEMS inertial sensor device using electrostatic quadrature-cancellation

• US 9,075,079 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2014
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: mCube, Inc.
• Original Assignee: mCube, Inc.
• Inventors: Yoneoka, Shingo, Sridharamurthy, Sudheer, Zhang, Wenhua, Lee, Te-Hsi Terrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdelaziez, Yasser A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Farun
• Application Number:
  US14/297,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20140361348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5762 the sensing mass being connected to a driving mass, e.g. driving frames
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/131 with electrostatic counterbalancing means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/084 the mass being suspended at more than one of its sides, e.g. membrane-type suspension, so as to permit multi-axis movement of the mass
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0865 using integrated signal processing circuitry

Abstract

An integrated MEMS inertial sensor device. The device includes a MEMS inertial sensor overlying a CMOS substrate. The MEMS inertial sensor includes a drive frame coupled to the surface region via at least one drive spring, a sense mass coupled to the drive frame via at least a sense spring, and a sense electrode disposed underlying the sense mass. The device also includes at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes disposed within a vicinity of the sense electrode, wherein each pair includes an N-electrode and a P-electrode.

Claims

1. An integrated MEMS inertial sensor device, the device comprising:

a CMOS substrate having a surface region, the CMOS substrate having at least one CMOS IC device;

a MEMS inertial sensor overlying the surface region, the MEMS inertial sensor comprising;

a drive frame coupled to the surface region via at least one drive spring,

a sense mass coupled to the drive frame via at least a sense spring, and

a sense electrode disposed underlying the sense mass; and

at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes disposed within a vicinity of the sense electrode, wherein each pair includes an N-electrode and a P-electrode.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the MEMS inertial sensor includes at least one drive comb or at least one drive feedback comb being configured to the drive frame and the CMOS substrate.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes is configured such that the torques caused by the N-electrode and the P-electrode are the same when the same electrical potential is applied to them.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one CMOS IC device includes a drive circuit configured to provide a drive signal to the at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes, the drive circuit including at least one phase shifter and at least one gain controller.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the drive signal comprises a DC signal and an AC signal.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the drive signal consists of a DC signal.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising a pair of peripheral sense masses, each coupled to the sense mass by at least a sense spring.

8. An integrated MEMS inertial sensor device, the device comprising:

a substrate member having a surface region;

a CMOS IC layer overlying the surface region, the CMOS IC layer having a CMOS surface region and at least one CMOS IC device;

a MEMS inertial sensor overlying the CMOS surface region, the MEMS inertial sensor comprising;

a drive frame coupled to the CMOS surface region via at least one drive spring,

a sense mass coupled to the drive frame via at least one sense spring, and

a sense electrode disposed underlying the sense mass; and

at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes disposed underlying the sense mass, the at least pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes having at least one quadrature cancellation N-electrode and at least one quadrature cancellation P-electrode.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the MEMS inertial sensor includes at least one drive comb or at least one drive feedback comb being configured to the drive frame and the CMOS substrate.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes is configured such that the torques caused by the N-electrode and the P-electrode are the same when the area and the distance from the sense springs are the same.

11. The device of claim 8 wherein the at least one CMOS IC device includes a drive circuit configured to provide a drive signal to the at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes, the drive circuit including at least one phase shifter and at least one gain controller.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the drive signal comprises a DC signal and an AC signal.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the drive signal consists of a DC signal.

14. The device of claim 8 further comprising a pair of peripheral sense masses, each coupled to the sense mass by at least a sense spring.

15. An integrated MEMS inertial sensor device, the device comprising:

a substrate member having a surface region;

a CMOS IC layer overlying the surface region, the CMOS IC layer having a CMOS surface region and at least one CMOS IC device;

a MEMS inertial sensor overlying the CMOS surface region, the MEMS inertial sensor comprising;

a drive frame coupled to the CMOS surface region via four drive springs,

a pair of peripheral sense masses, each coupled to the drive frame via a pair of peripheral springs;

a central sense mass coupled to the pair of peripheral sense masses, each of the peripheral sense masses coupled to the central sense mass by a pair of central springs;

a sense electrode disposed underlying the sense mass; and

at least one pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes disposed underlying each of the peripheral sense masses, each pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes having at least one quadrature cancellation N-electrode and at least one quadrature cancellation P-electrode.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the MEMS inertial sensor includes at least one drive comb or at least one drive feedback comb being configured to the drive frame and the CMOS substrate.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein each pair of quadrature cancellation electrodes is configured such that the torques caused by the N-electrode and the P-electrode are the same when the area and the distance from the sense springs are the same.

18. The device of claim 15 wherein the at least one CMOS IC device includes a drive circuit configured to provide a drive signal to quadrature cancellation electrodes, the drive circuit including at least one phase shifter and at least one gain controller.

19. The device of claim 15 wherein the drive signal comprises a DC signal and an AC signal.

20. The device of claim 15 wherein the drive signal consists of a DC signal.