Importance

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Abstract

A 3-dimensional MEMS accelerometer fabricated on a single planar substrate deploys three co-planar sensor elements. Each sensor element is a capacitive device deploying a static electrode plate and a parallel dynamic electrode plate supported by a torsion beam. The dynamic electrode plate also includes a proof mass portion that displaces the center of gravity to below the plane of the plate. Two of the sensor elements are identical and rotated by 90 degrees on the planar substrate. The third capacitive sensor has two pairs of adjacent capacitive plates, each one having a dynamic electrode plate is suspended by a torsion beam. The proof mass on each dynamic electrode plates however is offset laterally from the torsion axis in opposite directions from the other plates to cancel the their respective capacitance charges induced by in-plane acceleration. However, this arrangement also adds the capacitive change induced by acceleration orthogonal to the planar substrate.

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First Claim