A few deg/hr resolvable low noise lateral microgyroscope

A 4.68/spl deg//hr equivalent noise level microgyroscope is fabricated and tested with a conventional electronic circuits on a PCB (printed circuit board). The rate resolution is improved by reduced noise with field coupling compensation and a large oscillation amplitude of the driven mode. The unbalanced capacitance variation due to the fringing field is compensated with a mirrored anchor structure. The driven oscillation with enhanced amplitude is mechanically decoupled using a folded spring structure, which is independent of the oscillation of the sensed mode. The sensing electronic circuit is realized on a PCB using a DIP IC, and capacitance variation in the atto-farad range is shown through driven and sensed mode measurement. The fabricated gyroscope was tested by applying 0.01/spl deg//sec amplitude with 1 Hz sinusoidal input, and showed an equivalent noise level of 4.68/spl deg//hr (0.0013/spl deg//sec). The microgyroscope is characterized by a linearity error of less than 0.8% FSO for a measured range of /spl plusmn/200/spl deg//sec.