A photonic MEMS accelerometer with a low-finesse hemispherical microcavity readout

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and testing of a photonic MEMS accelerometer that uses a hemispherical microcavity to transduce the motion of the proof mass. The cavity design provides stable operation that is relatively tolerant of misalignment errors. The prototype sensor is shown to have optical resonances that closely match the expected Airy function model.