High-Performance MEMS – Ahead of What’s Possible
ABSTRACT
In this presentation, we will discuss the recent inertial MEMS breakthroughs at Analog Devices. We will cover advancements in two main categories: next-generation ultra-low noise accelerometers and near-navigation grade compact IMUs.
Accelerometers: We will introduce the world’s first three-axis MEMS accelerometer utilizing a beyond-resonant frequency sensing technique. This technique digitizes the full sensor response and digitally equalizes the total accelerometer transfer function, enabling wide bandwidth and low noise performance simultaneously.
IMUs: We will showcase a new family of MEMS IMUs that integrate our inertial sensors with a software-defined ASIC and embedded MCU, delivering near-navigation grade, multi-core, 6-DOF IMUs. The core components, housed in a stand-alone ceramic package measuring 7x7x2 mm³, achieve noise levels of 0.004 °/√hr gyroscope ARW and 0.008 (m/s)/√hr accelerometer VRW. Over a temperature range of -40 to +85°C, we demonstrated 2 °/hr offset bias stability and 60 ppm scale-factor stability, approaching near-navigation grade performance. These IMUs are built in a form factor that is 1/20th the size and power of most FOG/RLG IMU systems. These developments confirm that MEMS IMUs can achieve near-navigation grade performance while maintaining SWaP-C efficiency and high-volume manufacturability.
BIOGRAPHY
Sam Zhang is an Analog Devices Fellow and Senior Director of MEMS Systems. He also serves as the Chair of SEMI PNT Governing Council. He has been a principal designer and innovator of ADI's high-performance inertial MEMS products, including the company’s first three-axis accelerometer and first MEMS microphone. His latest ground-breaking contributions have been in the areas of ultralow noise accelerometers, ultrahigh stability gyroscopes and inertial measurement units (IMUs), reshaping the way condition-based monitoring and inertial navigation are being addressed today. His efforts are modernizing the inertial sensing industry from single-point monitoring to broad networks and are being applied across areas such as industrial automation, healthcare, and autonomous vehicles. He joined ADI in 2001 after earning an MS degree in mechanical engineering from the George Washington University. He also holds a BS and a BA from Tsinghua University. To date, he has been awarded 44 U.S. patents.