MEMS accelerometer with mechanical amplification mechanism for enhanced sensitivity

We report on the novel architecture and operational principle of a MEMS accelerometer with enhanced sensitivity achieved through incorporating of an integrated mechanical compliant motion transformer and amplifier. The amplification mechanism is realized as an eccentric elastic torsion link that transforms small out-of-plane motion of the proof mass into large amplitude angular motion of a tilting element whose deflection are sensed optically to extract acceleration. The device was fabricated using silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer and is characterized by a robust single layer architecture and simple fabrication process. The functionality of the device is demonstrated and good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is observed.