The subject of this proposal was the design of a MEMS gyroscope for SFWA purposes. This was a high-end application, stemming from its noise and stability requirements.

We did not develop a completely novel device, i.e. with entirely new design principles, fabrication processes, etc. On the contrary, the performance of Sensonor’s existing, qualified high-end product STIM202 was very close to the targeted specification. Thus, the improvement of a rather limited number of technical issues was required to satisfy the specification. STIM202 is a 1, 2 or 3 axes gyroscope. It meets this Call’s specification in noise and short-term stability. Long-term stability is also very good, while an effort remains to establish those design and technology improvements that are needed to explicitly make the sensor fulfil the SFWA specification. The route to attain this goal was the focus of this proposal.

Sensonor’s long track record in MEMS placed the company in a unique position in extreme reliability silicon MEMS. More than 2 million MEMS gyros, 250 million MEMS accelerometers, and 250 million MEMS pressure sensors designed and manufactured by Sensonor have been shipped, with an impressive field failure rate of less than 0.1ppm. This was ultimate proof of the extreme reliability achievable in silicon MEMS by Sensonor.

In the project, we identified and ascertained a list of improvements, to limit and focus the efforts. This approach translated to best project efficiency, short time-to-market and low technical risks.

At the end of this project, the required improvements have been attained, and the corresponding new and improved gyro specification arrived at. It positively had been proven that the SFWA specification is met with these improvements and production can start immediately.