Fused Quartz Dual-Shell Resonator Gyroscope

This paper introduces a 3-D fused quartz dual-shell microstructure, discussing its design, simulation, fabrication, and instrumentation as a Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) gyroscope. The dual-shell was realized from plastic deformation of fused quartz using triple-stack wafer bonding and high-temperature micro-glassblowing processes. The fabrication process was developed and dual-shell prototypes with different design parameters were fabricated. A Finite Element (FE) model was presented to simulate the deformation of viscous fused quartz during the micro-glassblowing process. The model was utilized to predict the final 3-D geometry from the design process parameters. A modeling framework based on FE simulations was presented for designing the resonators as well as predicting the resonator’s response to transient excitation, such as shock and vibrations. Fused quartz dual-shell resonator prototype with Q-factors as high as 1.83 million and amplitude ringdown time of 120 seconds was demonstrated. An electrode substrate was designed and integrated with the dual-shell resonator for electrostatic excitation and detection of the vibration modes, as well as 3-D packaging and vacuum encapsulation of the sensing element. An open-loop angular rate gyro operation with electrostatic excitation and capacitive detection was demonstrated on the dual-shell resonator. The Allan deviation of zero rate output bias revealed Angle Random Walk (ARW) of
$0.058 \deg /\sqrt {hr}$
and in-run bias instability of
$0.4 \deg /hr$
without temperature control on the dual-shell resonator gyroscope. The proposed structure can be instrumented to operate as a resonator, a gyroscope, or other vibratory sensors, and is anticipated to have advantages for precision operation in a harsh environment.