A Detailed Journey from Tactical to High-End Navigation-Grade MEMS Accelerometers at EMCORE

EMCORE has decades of experience in developing quartz MEMS vibratory accelerometers, beginning with tactical-grade devices and advancing to demonstrate high-end navigation-grade accelerometer performance. This paper explores the hidden challenges that arise in high-end MEMS accelerometers, particularly those based on frequency modulation (FM). We delve into the distinctions between cross-coupling and cross-modulation effects, which become prominent as the noise floor is reduced, and discuss how these effects influence accelerometer precision. Additionally, advanced techniques for temperature compensation are evaluated, including conventional calibration and temperature self-sensing methods. To further enhance system robustness, we propose a multi-mode operational scheme that leverages multiple independent operational modes for temperature and gradient compensation. Our experimental results demonstrate navigation-grade performance, achieving bias instability as low as 30 ng and a total error of 2 μg across the full dynamic temperature range. These findings highlight the potential of EMCORE's MEMS accelerometers to meet the stringent demands of navigation-grade applications.