A silicon micromachined shock accelerometer with twin-mass-plate structure

Presented in this paper, is a shock accelerometer fabricated by silicon micromachining technology. The accelerometer is constructed with an iso-width twin-mass-plate structure that can greatly increase the natural frequency and facilitate the fabrication process. Theoretical analysis and ANSYS simulation of the structure show that it can cover a wide range from 2,000g to 200,000g depending on the thickness of the plate if packaged successfully. The primary performance of the accelerometer was examined using a free dropping-bar system. Experimental results on sensitivity and resonance frequency are presented and compared with the theoretical values. The results of the shock tests show that the accelerometer with a plate thickness of 74 μm has a sensitivity of 1.43 μ-V g^-1 under 5 V excitation, and its resonance frequency is greater than 200 kHz. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.