Design and Modeling of a Dual Mass SOI-MEMS Gyroscope

This report discusses the design of a dual mass silicon-on-insulator(SOI) MEMS gyroscope. The main advantage of the dual mass gyroscope is the ability to cancel out common mode acceleration. The SOI MEMS process also provides several inherent advantages including increased out-of-plane stiffness, increased mass, and increased sense capacitance. Two different SOI-MEMS processes are considered and the design constraints imposed by each process are examined in detail. The design of the control electronics for the gyroscope is briefly discussed. Finally, we examine the major issues in gyroscope design including the qualitative effect of parasitics, noise sources, and mechanical suspension design.