A Simulation Study of the Temperature Sensitivity and Impact of Fabrication Tolerances on the Performance of a Geometric Anti-Spring Based MEMS Gravimeter

In this work, the effect of temperature change and fabrication tolerances observed from fabricated devices for a geometric anti-spring (GAS) based Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) gravimeter is modelled using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The temperature-induced effects are analysed in terms of the temperature coefficient of deflection (TCD) for GAS flexures of varying cross-section profiles. The simulated models suggest that the maximum TCD is observed at the minimum stiffness operating points of the flexures. The models also suggest that the cross-sectional shape changes due to fabrication tolerances significantly impact the stiffness, and, hence, the resonant frequency of the devices. Interestingly, it is observed that the temperature sensitivities of the simplified models are found to be mainly dependent on the device material (Si), irrespective of the cross-sectional profiles.