Study on the lower resolution limit and the temperature-dependent performance of a surface micromachined gyroscope

This paper reports on the characterization of a novel micromachined angular rate sensor with a single point mechanical suspension targeted for automotive applications. In detail, the lower resolution limit of the sensor element was determined at application-relevant ambient pressure levels ranging from 1 to 10 mbar. Furthermore, the temperature-dependent performance of the gyroscope was measured at an ambient pressure of 3 mbar which was found to be an optimized value for achieving high performance at acceptable excitation voltage levels. The temperature coefficients of sensitivity (TCS) and frequency (TCF) were determined experimentally in a custom-built measurement set-up.