Origami-Like 3-D Folded MEMS Approach for Miniature Inertial Measurement Unit
Published Web Location
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7948811/Abstract
This paper presents a miniature 50 mm3 inertial measurement unit (IMU) implemented using a folded microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) process. The approach is based on wafer-level fabrication of high aspect-ratio single-axis sensors interconnected by flexible hinges and folded into a 3-D configuration, like a silicon Origami [1]. Two different materials for flexible hinges have been explored, including photo-definable polyimide and parylene-C. We report, for the first time, an IMU prototype with seven operational sensors: three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, and a prototype of a reference clock. This paper concludes with the results of experimental characterization of inertial sensors demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed approach for a compact IMU.
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