Investigation on the Pressure-Dependent Performance of a Surface Micromachined Gyroscope

This paper reports on a novel micromachined angular rate sensor with optimised mechanical suspension targeted for automotive applications. The eigenfrequencies and the mode shapes of the sensor element were calculated both analytically and by using finite element method simulations. Furthermore, the Q-factors of the drive and sense frequencies were determined experimentally as a function of ambient pressure levels in a custom-built set-up. The sensitivity of the sensor element was measured in the range of up to 1000 deg/s applying different excitation voltages and the corresponding quadrature errors were determined.