Search Results (19)

This paper reports a self-temperature compensation barometer based on a quartz resonant pressure sensor. A novel sensor chip that contains a double-ended tuning fork (DETF) resonator and a single-ended tuning fork (SETF) resonator is designed and fabricated. The two resonators are designed on the same diaphragm. The DETF resonator works as a pressure sensor. To reduce the influence of the temperature drift, the SETF resonator works as a temperature compensation sensor, which senses the instantaneous temperature of the DETF resonator. The temperature compensation method based on polynomial fitting is studied. The experimental results show that the accuracy is 0.019% F.S. in a pressure range of 200~1200 hPa over a temperature range of −20 °C~+60 °C. The absolute errors of the barometer are within ±23 Pa. To verify its actual performance, a drone flight test was conducted. The test results are consistent with the actual flight trajectory. Full article

Bifurcation topology transfer phenomena in the presence of mode localization are investigated using double-ended fixed electrostatically coupled tuning fork resonators. An analytical model is proposed for the coupled tuning fork resonators, and the effects of feedthrough capacitance on the structure are also analyzed and eliminated by means of data post-processing. Then, an open-loop experimental platform is established, when the system is in balance state, the quality factor is obtained under test as Q = 9858, and comparison of the experiment with numerical simulation results is in good agreement. Finally, with the voltage increases, the two resonators gradually exhibit nonlinear characteristics. It is worth noting that when one of the coupled resonators exhibits nonlinear vibration behavior, even though the vibration amplitude of the other resonator is lower than the critical amplitude, it still exhibits nonlinear behavior, and the results confirm the existence of the bifurcation topology transfer phenomenon in coupled resonators’ mode localization phenomenon. Full article

Accelerometers based on outputting amplitude ratios in weakly coupled resonators (WCRs) are attractive because their parametric sensitivity is higher by two or three orders of magnitudes than those based on outputting frequency. However, the impact of temperature on the coupler is a key factor in accelerometer applications. This paper proposed a novel mode-localized WCR accelerometer with a temperature compensation mechanism, with sensitive elements incorporating a double-ended tuning fork (DETF) resonator, clamped–clamped (CC) resonator, and a micro-lever coupler. The DETF out-of-phase mode is utilized, which is only sensitive to temperature, to measure the temperature change of WCRs and complete the temperature compensation using the compensation algorithm. This proposed method has no time delay in measuring the temperature of sensitive elements and no temperature difference caused by the uneven temperature field. The parametric sensitivity in amplitude ratio (AR) to acceleration drifting with temperature was theoretically analyzed, and the novel device was designed and fabricated by a silicon-on-glass process. Both simulation and experiment results demonstrated that the coupling stiffness drifted with temperature, which resulted in the drifts of its sensitivity to acceleration and zero-bias stability. Using the intrinsic mode of WCRs, in terms of the DETF out-of-phase mode, as an in situ thermometer and carrying out the temperature compensation algorithm, the drift of zero bias could be suppressed from 102 mg to 4.5 mg (g is the gravity acceleration), and the drift of the parameter sensitivity in AR was suppressed from 0.74 AR/g to 0.02 AR/g with the temperature range from 330 K to 370 K and acceleration range from 0 g to 0.2 g. Full article

A study of the front-end electronics for quartz tuning forks (QTFs) employed as optoacoustic transducers in quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensing is reported. Voltage amplifier-based electronics is proposed as an alternative to the transimpedance amplifier commonly employed in QEPAS experiments. The possibility to use differential input/output configurations with respect to a single-ended configuration has also been investigated. Four different architectures have been realized and tested: a single-ended transimpedance amplifier, a differential output transimpedance amplifier, a differential input voltage amplifier and a fully differential voltage amplifier. All of these amplifiers were implemented in a QEPAS sensor operating in the mid-IR spectral range. Water vapor in ambient air has been selected as the target gas species for the amplifiers testing and validation. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measured for the different configurations has been used to compare the performances of the proposed architectures. We demonstrated that the fully differential voltage amplifier allows for a nearly doubled SNR with respect to the typically used single-ended transimpedance amplifier. Full article

With the rapid developments of the Industrial Era 4.0, numerous sensors have been employed to facilitate and monitor the quality of machining processes. Among them, accelerometers play an important role in chatter detection and suppression for reducing the tool down-time and increasing manufacturing efficiency. To date, most commonly seen accelerometers have relatively large sizes such that they can be installed only on the housing of spindles or the surfaces of workpieces that may not be able to directly capture actual vibration signals or obstruct the cutting process. To address this challenge, this research proposed a compact, wide-bandwidth resonant accelerometer that could be embedded inside high-speed spindles for real-time chatter monitoring and prediction. Composed of a double-ended tuning fork (DETF), a proof mass, and a support beam, the resonant accelerometer utilizes the resonance frequency shift of the DETF due to the bending motions of the structure during out-of-plane accelerations as the sensing mechanism. The entire structure based on commercially available quartz tuning forks (QTFs) with electrodes for symmetric-mode excitations. The advantages of this structure include low noise and wide operation bandwidth thanks to the frequency modulation scheme. A theoretical model and finite element analysis were conducted for designs and optimizations. Simulated results demonstrated that the proposed accelerometer has a size of 9.76 mm × 4.8 mm × 5.5 mm, a simulated sensitivity of 0.94 Hz/g, and a simulated working bandwidth of 3.5 kHz. The research results are expected to be beneficial for chatter detection and intelligent manufacturing. Full article

A differential resonant voltage sensor with frequency output was developed by bonding two quartz crystal double-ended tuning forks (DETFs) on both sides of a piezo bimorph. The applied voltage induced tensile and compression deformation in the upper and bottom layers of the piezo bimorph, which caused the resonant frequency of the dual DETFs to increase and decrease, respectively. In this case, the differential output of the resonance frequencies of the dual DETFs greatly reduced the effect of temperature drift. In addition, the input resistance of the piezo bimorph reached a few hundred GΩ, which caused almost no influence on the DC voltage under test. The fabricated device showed a linear characteristic over its measurement range of ±700 V with a sensitivity of 0.75 Hz/V, a resolution of 0.007% (0.1 V) and hysteresis of 0.76% of the full range. The quality factor of the DETFs was about 3661 (in air). This novel resonant voltage sensor with its extremely low power consumption is promising for measuring or monitoring DC voltage in various fields. Full article

This paper presents resonant pressure micro sensors based on dual double ended tuning fork (DETF) resonators, which are electrostatically excited and piezoresistively detected. In operation, the barometric pressure under measurement bends the pressure sensitive diaphragm functioning as the anchor of DETF resonators and therefore produces eigenfrequency shifts of the resonators. Theoretical analyses and finite element analyses (FEA) were conducted to optimize the key geometries of the DETF resonators with enhanced signal to noise ratios (SNRs). In fabrications, key steps including deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) and anodic bonding were used, where sleeve holes were adopted to form electrical connections, leading to high-efficiency structure layout. Experimental results indicate that the presented micro sensors produced SNRs of 63.70 ± 3.46 dB in the open-loop characterizations and differential sensitivities of 101.3 ± 1.2 Hz/kPa, in the closed-loop characterizations. In addition, pressure cycling tests with a pressure range of 5 to 155 kPa were conducted, revealing that the developed micro sensors demonstrated pressure shifts of 83 ± 2 ppm, pressure hysteresis of 67 ± 3 ppm, and repeatability errors of 39 ± 2 ppm. Thus, the developed resonant pressure micro sensors may potentially function as an enabling tool for barometric pressure measurements. Full article

This study proposes a microfabricated resonant pressure sensor in which a pair of double-ended tuning forks were utilized as resonators where comb electrodes and single-crystal silicon-based piezoresistors were used for electrostatic excitation and piezoresistive detection, respectively. In operations, pressures under measurements deform the pressure-sensitive diaphragm to cause stress variations of two resonators distributed on the central and side positions of the pressure-sensitive diaphragm, where the corresponding changes of the intrinsic resonant frequencies are then captured piezoresistively. The developed resonant pressure sensors were fabricated based on MEMS with open-loop and closed-loop characterizations conducted. Key sensing parameters including quality factors, differential pressure/temperature sensitivities and fitting errors were quantified as higher than 17,000, 48.24 Hz/kPa, 0.15 Hz/°C and better than 0.01% F.S. (140 kpa), respectively. In comparison to previously reported resonant pressure sensors driven by parallel-plate electrodes, the developed sensor in this study is featured with a lower temperature sensitivity and a higher stability. Full article

This study proposes a microfabricated resonant pressure sensor based on electrostatic excitation and low-impedance piezoresistive detection in which a pair of double-ended tuning forks were utilized as resonators for differential outputs. In operations, targeted pressures deforms the pressure-sensitive membrane, resulting in stress variations of two resonators, leading to shifts of the intrinsic resonant frequencies, which were then measured piezoresistively. The developed microfabricated resonant pressure sensor was fabricated using simple SOI-MEMS processes and quantified in both open-loop and closed-loop manners, where the quality factor, differential sensitivity and linear correlation coefficient were quantified as higher than 10,000, 79.4 Hz/kPa and 0.99999, respectively. Compared to previous resonant piezoresistive sensors, the developed device leveraged single-crystal silicon as the piezoresistor, with advantages in simple sensing structures and fabrication steps. Furthermore, the differential setup was adopted in this study which can further improve the performances of the developed sensors. Full article

Resonant accelerometers are an alternative to amplitude modulated devices due to their higher integration capabilities, since they are encapsulated in vacuum and are stable at low pressures. Vacuum is required for some sensors (i.e., gyroscopes) but amplitude modulated accelerometers tend to be unstable under such conditions and therefore cannot be integrated in the same package. Herewith, a device composed by double-ended tuning fork resonators (DETF) and a force amplification mechanism for sensitivity enhancement is presented. Characterization of the fabricated devices was performed, and the design was successfully validated. A sensitivity close to 80 Hz/g was experimentally measured and the DETF characterization for different driving (AC) and bias voltages (DC) is also presented. Full article

A Lorentz force MEMS magnetometer based on a double-ended tuning fork (DETF) for out-of-plane sensing is presented here. A novel configuration using a hexagonal-shaped Lorentz force transducer is used, which simplifies the sensor configuration and improves its sensitivity. Frequency modulated devices were fabricated in an in-house process on silicon on insulator wafers (SOI) and then tested in vacuum. The final devices have a differential configuration and experimental characterization shows a sensitivity of 4.59 Hz/mT for a total input current (on the Lorentz bar) of 1.5 mA. Full article

The mechanical stress in silicon-on-glass MEMS structures and a stress isolation scheme were studied by analysis and experimentation. Double-ended tuning forks (DETFs) were used to measure the stress based on the stress-frequency conversion effect. Considering the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) of silicon and glass and the temperature coefficient of the Young’s modulus of silicon, the sensitivity of the natural frequency to temperature change was analyzed. A stress isolation mechanism composed of annular isolators and a rigid frame is proposed to prevent the structure inside the frame from being subjected to thermal stresses. DETFs without and with one- or two-stage isolation frames with the orientations <110> and <100> were designed, the stress and natural frequency variations with temperature were simulated and measured. The experimental results show that in the temperature range of −50 °C to 85 °C, the stress varied from −18 MPa to 10 MPa in the orientation <110> and −11 MPa to 5 MPa in the orientation <100>. For the 1-stage isolated DETF of <110> orientation, the measured stress variation was only 0.082 MPa. The thermal stress can be mostly rejected by a stress isolation structure, which is applicable in the design of stress-sensitive MEMS sensors and actuators. Full article

This paper presents a resonant pressure microsensor relying on electrostatic excitation and piezoresistive detection where two double-ended tuning forks were used as resonators, enabling differential outputs. Pressure under measurement caused the deformation of the pressure sensitive membrane, leading to stress buildup of the resonator under electrostatic excitation with a corresponding shift of the resonant frequency detected piezoresistively. The proposed microsensor was fabricated by simplified SOI-MEMS technologies and characterized by both open-loop and closed-loop circuits, producing a quality factor higher than 10,000, a sensitivity of 79.44 Hz/kPa and an accuracy rate of over 0.01% F.S. In comparison to the previously reported resonant piezoresistive sensors, the proposed device used single-crystal silicon as piezoresistors, which was featured with low DC biased voltages, simple sensing structures and fabrication steps. In addition, the two double-ended tuning forks were used as resonators, producing high quality factors and differential outputs, which further improved the sensor performances. Full article

In this paper, a novel single-axis MEMS tilt sensor is presented. It contains a hexagonal proof mass, six micro-lever force amplifiers and three double-ended-tuning fork (DETF) resonant strain gauges. The proof mass is placed in the center with the micro-levers and the DETFs radially arrayed around. The variation of gravity acceleration applied on the proof mass will result in frequency shifts of the DETFs. Angular tilt can be got by analyzing the frequency outputs. The structural design of the tilt sensor is optimized by finite element simulation and the device is microfabricated using a silicon-on-insulator process, followed by open-loop and closed-loop characterizations. Results show that the scale factor of such sensor is at least 11.53 Hz/degree. Minimum Allan deviation of the DETF oscillator is 220 ppb (parts per billion) of the resonant frequency for an 5 s integration time. Resolution of the tilt sensor is $0.002{}^{\circ }$ in the whole measurement range from $0{}^{\circ }$ to $360{}^{\circ }$ . Full article

This paper reports a high accuracy oil-filled MEMS absolute pressure sensor based on quartz crystal double-ended tuning fork (DETF) resonator, which is suitable for application in ocean, petroleum, meteorological, aerospace and spacecraft field, etc. The pressure sensing unit is mainly composed of DETF resonator, diaphragm and back cavity structure. These pieces are all fabricated by quartz crystal using MEMS process, and are bonded together as ‘sandwich’ structure to form the absolute pressure sensing unit using glass frit under low temperature and vacuum condition. This process could effectively eliminate the thermal stress effect and form the reference vacuum cavity. The isolated packaged pressure sensor is composed of corrugated stainless steel diaphragm, silicone oil, pressure sensing unit and ceramic base package. The experimental results show that the accuracy is up to ±0.033% FS in the pressure range 0~300 kPa over the temperature range −20 °C~+45 °C. Full article