Very small inertial measurement units (IMU) are necessary for measuring the aircraft wing deformation during flight. This objective can be only met, if the sensor system is highly integrated. GEMAC and AMAC developed in the project an ASIC in which all necessary analog blocks are implemented (high performance switches, charge amplifier, temperature probe, gain and offset, ADC, eventually voltage reference). The first development step was the analysis of the specification and the existing mock-up to investigate and to confirm the feasibility of ASIC integration, to evaluate risks and to setup the detailed planning. In this phase, GEMAC needed continuous support from the consortium partner Sagem. After a Go-Ahead decision the final system architecture was defined, followed by the design and simulation of the single blocks and the whole system including the interfaces to the MEMS element and the surrounding system electronics. Mentor tools were used for all simulations in the design flow. In order to minimise risks and to save time, the first run covered only the main components of the system. The designed and checked layout were transferred for preparation to XFAB. The company is one of the leading semiconductor and ASIC manufacturers in Europe and offers all state-of-the-art technologies for analogue, digital, mixed signal designs. GEMAC has business contacts to this fab for many years, all necessary libraries are available.

After delivery the ASIC samples were tested together with Sagem. In the result, a list of necessary redesign activities were setup. In parallel the design was completed with the still missing functional blocks. After successful simulation of back-annotated netlists the second run started. The samples supplied by XFAB were tested again together with Sagem.

GEMAC and AMAC are R&D oriented SMEs with experiences in ASIC design and microsystem technology as well as MEMS based acceleration sensors for many years. AMAC is a spin-off of GEMAC and has taken over the Micro-IMU project in March 2016. With its participation in Clean Sky the companies intended to contribute to the goal of Clean Sky to speed up new and greener aviation designs to protect our environment.