A Compact Temperature Controller for MEMS Vibratory Gyroscopes Using Thermoelectric Cooler

In this article, a compact thermoelectric cooler (TEC)-controlled micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope system is designed, implemented, and characterized. To achieve high-precision measurement of MEMS gyroscopes, it is crucial to stabilize the temperature of the resonator regardless of ambient temperature fluctuations. The character of switching cooling and heating modes by changing the supply current direction allows the setting temperature of the TEC-controlled MEMS gyroscope to be maintained within the fluctuation range of ambient temperature, thereby offering advantages, such as low power consumption and high-quality factor. The feasibility of the TEC-controlled MEMS gyroscope is analyzed and examined by the theoretical model and finite elements analysis (FEA) simulation models. Comparison experiments were performed for the disk resonator gyroscope (DRG) with and without TEC over the temperature range from
$- 40~^{\circ }$
C to
$+ 60~^{\circ }$
C. The experimental findings highlight a considerable mitigation in the drift observed in the resonant frequency,
$Q$
-factor, bias, and scale factor concerning changes in ambient temperature. Particularly noteworthy is the temperature sensitivity observed within the
$0~^{\circ }$
C–
$30~^{\circ }$
C range. The measured temperature sensitivity of the gyroscope with and without TEC is as follows: 0.96 and −19.78 ppm/K for the resonant frequency, 68 and −2036 ppm/K for the
$Q$
-factor,
$5.34\times 10$
^−4°/s/K and
$362.35\times 10$
^−4°/s/K for the bias, and 210 and 274 ppm/K for the scale factor, respectively. This substantiates the potential of TEC as a promising temperature control unit for MEMS vibration gyroscopes.