Equal-strength beam design of acoustic wave accelerometers

Abstract

Abstract Surface acoustic wave (SAW) based accelerometers have received significant attention due to their digital output, low cost, mass production and easy implementation of wireless passive function. However, conventionally rectangular cantilever-beam based SAW accelerometers often have non-uniform strains generated along the beams, which cause emergence of parasitic wave modes and measurement errors. In this paper, a simulation platform was developed to analyze and optimize designs of SAW accelerometers and variable-thickness and equal-strength beams were designed to solve the critical issue of non-uniform strain distribution along the beam. Frequency responses of SAW accelerometers under the acceleration were successfully obtained using the simulation platform, with the visualized strain/stress distribution and particle displacement field. The accuracy of this simulation platform was verified using the experimental result reported in literature. A highly sensitive and equal-strength beam SAW accelerometer was achieved with a sensitivity up to 1.40 kHz g−1, a linearity coefficient of ∼1, and a measurement range of 0∼15 g. Furthermore, a high-G accelerometer was designed, with the capability of enduring large shocks up to 11,500 g and a sensitivity of 6.96 Hz g−1.