Structural and thermal analysis of a MEMS angular gyroscope

This paper describes the structural and thermal modeling of a Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) z-axis angular gyroscope. The gyroscope consists of a oscillating proof mass supported by a suspension made up of six concentric interconnected rings rigidly attached to an anchored frame. The device is capable of measuring angular displacement through precession of the proof mass line of oscillation in the presence of rotation induced Coriolis force. Using a strain energy method, a closed form solution for the effective stiffness of the suspension system is developed, which is confirmed using finite element modeling. A comparative study of the suspension with a commonly used serpentine spring suspension demonstrates that the studied device is robust to thermal fluctuations and residual stresses. A parametric analysis is used to identify an appropriate micromachining technology suitable for the fabrication of the angular gyroscope.