Small-size MEMS Accelerometer Encapsulated in Vacuum Using Sigma-Delta Modulation

A vacuum encapsulated MEMS accelerometer using Sigma-Delta modulation is here presented. Three different modulation orders (second, third, and fourth) were implemented in a field-programable gate array (FPGA), enabling flexibility for tuning the loop parameters in real-time. Three devices were measured, and the results are in good agreement with simulations performed in Simulink. A noise figure of 123 μg/√Hz for a bandwidth of 400 Hz and a range of at least ±1 g was experimentally measured. A figure of merit considering device size and bandwidth is proposed, highlighting the relevance of the results for the current state of the art.