Characterization and testing of microelectromechnical accelerometers

Analog and Mixed Signal circuits pose a greater challenge in semiconductor testing than digital circuits due to the complexity of test requirements and the extremely large test vector sample space [?]. MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) are an emerging field combining mechanical components with semiconductor circuitry on-chip. Conventional testing and characterization methods for MEMS are very resource intensive. Alternate Testing, or Indirect Testing is a methodology used to identify and implement economical, fast and less complex tests to replace conventional complex, specification based tests [?]. This paper describes a methodology to characterize and test the mechanical subsystem of an accelerometer using its electrical sub-system. We use a novel pseudo-mechanical impetus to obtain an analog output which is then used for parameter mapping to characterize both electrical and mechanical subsystems in a purely electrical test. Measurements on commercial accelerometers demonstrate that the results of electrical tests correlates well with those from mechanical tests, providing an accurate low-cost solution for high-volume manufacturing test of accelerometers.