A CMOS compatible micromachined yaw-rate sensor

We introduce a silicon yaw-rate sensor that can be manufactured using CMOS processing and micromachining. The basic device is a movable-gate-field-effect transistor. The gate structure is released by chemical etching and resonated in the plane of the substrate using Lorentz forces exerted on it when current is passed through the gate in the presence of a magnetic field. Interaction between the resonating gate structure and applied yaw results in a Coriolis force that pushes the gate structure towards or away from the substrate. This movement of the gate is detected by probing the drain current of the transistor. The principles and design of the sensor as well as aspects of its manufacture are discussed