Fabrication of hemispherical fused silica micro-resonator with tailored stiffness and mass distribution

This paper presents initial progress toward a precision shell integrating (PSI) gyroscope designed for high Coriolis force sensitivity and high shock and vibration tolerance. We demonstrate control over the stiffness and mass distribution of a 3D hemispherical shell resonator formed with blowtorch reflow molding of fused silica (FS). The thickness profile of the resonator is designed to reduce the frequency of the n = 2 wine-glass (WG) modes and to maximize the parasitic mode frequencies, which increases shock and vibration tolerance. We simulate the dynamic reflow process with a non-isothermal finite element model, allowing us to design a substrate pattern that will reflow into the desired geometry. The PSI resonator is simulated to have a larger effective mass (M
_eff
) than other MEMS gyroscope resonator designs.