MEI Micro, Inc. emerged victorious at the 2024 Best of Sensors Awards, securing the top spot in the MEMS category for its innovative entry: a navigation grade, chip scale MEMS 3-axis accelerometer that is described as a world’s first. The MEMS category specifically honors achievements in miniaturized mechanical devices that integrate electronics to measure physical quantities like acceleration. This awards program, co-hosted by Sensors Converge and Fierce Electronics, recognizes trailblazing achievements in sensor technology and the broader electronics ecosystem.
MEI Micro's award-winning accelerometer combines high accuracy with low cost, size, weight, and power consumption (CSWaP), setting a new standard in the industry. This product is based on MEI Micro's proprietary 3DS MEMS inertial process and advanced packaging technology. It also features the industry's largest proof mass, a critical factor in achieving high sensitivity and low noise, and the first multi-axis MEMS device packaged at the wafer level. This achievement provides a solution that meets the demanding requirements of various applications, including defense, aerospace, and consumer electronics.
MEI Micro's accelerometer offers 80 to 100 times higher accuracy than typical consumer and industrial grade devices. This level of precision has traditionally been the domain of much larger and more expensive technologies such as Fiber Optic Gyros (FOGs), Ring Laser Gyros (RLGs), and Quartz Resonant Accelerometers. MEI Micro's solution brings this high-end performance to a chip-scale package, opening up new possibilities for a wide range of applications.
The device has impressive specifications. It can measure accelerations up to 10 times the force of gravity (±10g). Its scale factor of approximately 300 mV/g indicates how well it converts measured acceleration into an electrical signal. Its bias stability can be as low as 5 μg, a level of stability that puts it firmly in the navigation grade category. The scale factor linearity, measured using a 1G tumble test, is about 0.5% across 1g, indicating excellent performance across its operating range.
One of the unique features of MEI Micro's accelerometer is its 3DS MEMS architecture. It consists of a stack of three fusion-bonded SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) wafers. The proof masses and suspensions are patterned in the central MEMS wafer, while the drive and sense electrodes are located above and below the proof mass in cap wafers. This design not only allows for large proof masses and electrodes that result in low noise and high sensitivity but also provides built-in shock resistance.
The bare MEMS has been shock tested to an impressive 14,000g without requiring industry-standard protective packaging. It has also demonstrated resilience to radiation, withstanding doses up to 2 Mrad. This combination of shock and radiation resistance makes it suited for demanding applications in aerospace and defense.
MEI Micro's accelerometer brings navigation-grade motion sensing capabilities to a price point previously associated with industrial and consumer-grade devices. This enables accurate relative position tracking without relying on GPS, an important feature for applications in areas with poor coverage or where signals are prone to external interference.
Its combination of high accuracy, low CSWaP, and robust performance characteristics makes it a versatile solution for a wide range of sensing needs, from autonomous vehicles and commercial space missions to AR/VR headsets and next-generation machine learning systems.
MEI Micro, Inc. is a pioneering fabless sensor company dedicated to advancing MEMS technology. MEI Micro's solutions are set to revolutionize many industries, the company says, including consumer electronics, healthcare, industrial, automotive, and aerospace.
To learn about the other companies and products that won an award in the 2024 Best of Sensors Awards ceremony, check out this article.