On The Sensitivity of Mode-Localized Accelerometers Operating in the Nonlinear Duffing Regime

Mode-localized sensors have attracted great attention due to the high parametric sensitivity and common mode rejection to temperature drift. The reported results from such sensors has largely relied on operation in the linear regime. However, operation at specific bifurcation points in the nonlinear regime can enable improvements in relevant performance metrics. This paper theoretically and experimentally reveals the operation of mode-localized sensors with respect to applied stiffness perturbations while operating in the nonlinear Duffing regime. The operation of a mode-localized accelerometer is optimized with benefit of the insights gained from theoretical analysis with operation at the top bifurcation point in the nonlinear regime. A prototype accelerometer device demonstrates a noise floor of 85 ng/√Hz and a bias instability of 130 ng, establishing a new benchmark for sensors employing vibration mode localization as a sensing paradigm.