Capacitive cmos readout circuits for high performance MEMS accelerometers


Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, Elektrik ve Elektronik Mühendisliği Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2008

Öğrenci: REHA KEPENEK

Eş Danışman: TAYFUN AKIN, HALUK KÜLAH

Özet:

This thesis presents the development of high resolution, wide dynamic range sigma-delta type readout circuits for capacitive MEMS accelerometers. Designed readout circuit employs fully differential closed loop structure with digital output, achieving high oversampling ratio and high resolution. The simulations of the readout circuit together with the accelerometer sensor are performed using the models constructed in Cadence and Matlab Simulink environments. The simulations verified the stability and proper operation of the accelerometer system. The sigma-delta readout circuit is implemented using XFab 0.6 m CMOS process. Readout circuit is combined with Silicon-On-Glass (SOG) and Dissolved Wafer Process (DWP) accelerometers. Both open loop and closed loop tests of the accelerometer system are performed. Open loop test results showed high sensitivity up to 8.1 V/g and low noise level of 4.8 g/Hz. Closed loop circuit is implemented on a PCB together with the external filtering and decimation electronics, providing 16-bit digital output at 800 Hz sampling rate. High acceleration tests showed ±18.5 g of linear acceleration range with high linearity, using DWP accelerometers. The noise tests in closed loop mode are performed using Allan variance technique, by acquiring the digital data. Allan variance tests provided 86 g/Hz of noise level and 74 g of bias drift. Temperature sensitivity tests of the readout circuit in closed loop mode is also performed, which resulted in 44 mg/ºC of temperature dependency. Two different types of new adaptive sigma-delta readout circuits are designed in order to improve the resolution of the systems by higher frequency operation. The two circuits both change the acceleration range of operation of the system, according to the level of acceleration. One of the adaptive circuits uses variation of feedback time, while the other circuit uses multi-bit feedback method. The simulation results showed micro-g level noise in closed loop mode without the addition of the mechanical noise of the sensor.