Surface Acoustic Wave Gyroscope Research Articles

A toroidal SAW gyroscope with focused IDTs for sensitivity enhancement

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope measures the rate of rotational angular velocity by exploiting a phenomenon known as the SAW gyroscope effect. Such a gyroscope is a great candidate for application in harsh environments because of the simplification of the suspension vibration mechanism necessary for traditional microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes. Here, for the first time, we propose a novel toroidal standing-wave-mode SAW gyroscope using focused interdigitated transducers (FIDTs). Unlike traditional SAW gyroscopes that use linear IDTs to generate surface acoustic waves, which cause beam deflection and result in energy dissipation, this study uses FIDTs to concentrate the SAW energy based on structural features, resulting in better focusing performance and increased SAW amplitude. The experimental results reveal that the sensitivity of the structure is 1.51 µV/(°/s), and the bias instability is 0.77°/s, which are improved by an order of magnitude compared to those of a traditional SAW gyroscope. Thus, the FIDT component can enhance the performance of the SAW gyroscope, demonstrating its superiority for angular velocity measurements. This work provides new insights into improving the sensitivity and performance of SAW gyroscopes.

Research on the SAW Gyroscopic Effect in a Double-Layer Substrate Structure Incorporating Non-Piezoelectric Materials.

The SAW (surface acoustic wave) gyroscopic effect is a key parameter that reflects the sensitivity performance of SAW angular velocity sensors. This study found that adding a layer of non-piezoelectric material with a lower reflection coefficient than that of the upper-layer material below the piezoelectric substrate to form a double-layer structure significantly enhanced the SAW gyroscopic effect, and the smaller the reflection coefficient of the lower-layer material, the stronger the SAW gyroscopic effect, with values being reached that were two to three times those with single-layer substrate structures. This was confirmed using a three-dimensional model, and the experimental results also showed that the thickness of the piezoelectric layer and the type of the lower-layer material also had a significant impact on the SAW gyroscopic effect. This novel discovery will pave the way for the future development of SAW angular velocity sensors.

A novel progressive wave gyroscope based on acousto-optic effects

We propose and numerically investigate a brand-new, high-sensitivity progressive wave gyroscope based on acousto-optic effects for the measurement of rotational angular velocity. Unlike the traditional surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope, which uses shifts in the SAW frequency to characterize the rotational angular velocity, this study uses acousto-optic effects to detect changes in refractive index caused by mechanical strain, measuring the angular velocity by the output optical power intensity of the optical waveguide. The three-dimensional finite element analysis method is utilized to build an SAW excitation model and optical detection model. We show that the sensitivity of the SAW gyroscope is highly dependent upon geometric parameters of the structure and that the mechanical strain induced by the progressive wave of the SAW can be effectively measured by the optical power intensity under the action of external angular velocity. The superiority of the proposed structure is substantiated by its achievement of a theoretical sensitivity of 1.8647 (mW/m2)/(rad/s) and high impact resistance of 220,000 g. By means of normalization, the sensitivity of the proposed structure can be enhanced by four orders of magnitude compared to the traditional SAW gyroscope. The novel structure combines the advantages of both conventional microscale vibrating gyroscopes and optical gyroscopes, providing a powerful solution for performance enhancement of SAW gyroscopes and, thereby, enabling application in the field of inertial devices.

Finite Element Analysis of the Distribution Parameters of a Metal Dot Array in a SAW Gyroscope

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope has many unique advantages, but a low detection sensitivity limits its development. Previous studies have shown that adding a metal dot array to the acoustic wave propagation path of the SAW delay line can enhance the Coriolis force and further improve sensitivity. Therefore, in order to optimize the detection sensitivity performance of the sensor, 128°YX-LiNbO3, ST-X Quartz and X112°Y-LiTaO3 piezoelectric substrates were selected by finite element method to analyze the influence of the metal dot array size on the SAW gyroscopic effect in this paper. The most suitable metal dot size for 128°YX-LiNbO3 and X112°Y-LiTaO3 obtained by simulation are 5/16λ and 1/16λ, respectively; for example, when the normalized angular velocity is 1 × 10−3, the SAW gyroscopic effect factor g of the two piezoelectric substrates distributing the optimum size metal dots can reach 22.4 kHz and 5.2 kHz. For ST-X quartz, there is a threshold between the rotation speed of the substrate and the optimum size of the metal dot. When the rotating speed is lower than the threshold, the SAW gyroscopic effect is strongest when the metal dot size is 3/16λ; otherwise, the SAW gyroscopic effect is strongest when the size is 11/16λ. These research results provide new ideas for improvement of the SAW gyroscope.

FEM Simulation of a High-Performance 128°Y-X LiNbO3/SiO2/Si Functional Substrate for Surface Acoustic Wave Gyroscopes.

To obtain a high-performance surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope substrate, the propagation characteristics and gyroscopic effect of Rayleigh waves in a 128°Y–X LiNbO3/SiO2/Si (LNOI) functional substrate were investigated with a three-dimensional finite element method. The influence of LNOI structural parameters on Rayleigh wave characteristics, including the phase velocity (vp), electromechanical coupling coefficient (K2) and temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF), were analyzed. The results demonstrate that the SiO2 layer compensates for the negative TCF of 128°Y–X LiNbO3 and enhances the K2 of the LNOI substrate. The Rayleigh wave velocity change of the LNOI substrate after rotations in different directions was studied. The gyroscope gain factor (η) represents the strength of the gyroscopic effect in the differential traveling wave SAW gyroscope and is defined. The ηy and ηz of the LNOI substrate with different structural parameters were investigated. Finally, an LNOI substrate with an hLN/λ of 0.2 and an hSiO2/λ of 0.05 was obtained by balancing the characteristic parameters, with a K2 of 3.96%, TCF of −18.75 ppm/°C and ηy of 0.26. The LNOI substrate has a better gyroscopic effect and temperature stability than the 128°Y–X LiNbO3 crystal. The LNOI substrate meets device miniaturization and integration needs.

Design and Optimization of a Novel SAW Gyroscope Structure Based on Amplitude Modulation with 1-D Phononic Crystals.

Surface acoustic wave gyroscopes (SAWGs), as a kind of all-solid-state micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes, can work normally under extremely high-impact environmental conditions. Among the current SAWGs, amplitude-modulated gyroscopes (AMGs) are all based on the same gyro effect, which was proved weak, and their sensitivity and intensity of the output are both lower than frequency-modulated gyroscopes (FMGs). However, because FMGs need to process a series of frequency signals, their signal processing and circuits are far less straightforward and simple than AMGs. In order to own both high-sensitivity and simple signal processing, a novel surface acoustic traveling wave gyroscope based on amplitude modulation is proposed, using one-dimensional phononic crystals (PCs) in this paper. In view of its specific structure, the proposed gyroscope consists of a surface acoustic wave oscillator and a surface acoustic wave delay line within a one-dimensional phononic crystal with a high-Q defect mode. In this paper, the working principle is analyzed theoretically through the partial wave method (PWM), and the gyroscopes with different numbers of PCs are also designed and studied by using the finite element method (FEM) and multiphysics simulation. The research results demonstrate that under a 1 V oscillator voltage output, the higher sensitivity of −23.1 mV·(rad/s)−1 in the linear range from −8 rad/s to 8 rad/s is reached when the gyro with three PC walls, and the wider linear range from −15 rad/s to 17.5 rad/s with the sensitivity of −6.7 mV·(rad/s)−1 with only one PC wall. Compared with the existing AMGs using metal dots to enhance the gyro effect, the sensitivity of the proposed gyro is increased by 15 to 112 times, and the linear range is increased by 4.6 to 186 times, even without the enhancement of the metal dots.

Formation of a Complex Topologies of SAW-Based Inertial Sensors by Laser Thin Film Local Evaporation.

Originally, sensors based on surface acoustic waves are fabricated using photolithography, which becomes extremely expensive when a small series or even single elements are needed for the research. A laser thin film local evaporation technique is proposed to substitute the photolithography process in the production of surface acoustic wave based inertial sensors prototypes. To estimate its potential a prototype of a surface acoustic wave gyroscope sensing element was fabricated and tested. Its was shown that the frequency mismatch is no more than 1%, but dispersion of the wave on small inertial masses leads to a spurious parasitic signal on receiving electrodes. Possible ways of its neglecting is discussed.

Development of fast prototyping laser technique for production of surface acoustic wave gyroscopes

Solid-state micromechanical gyroscopes based on surface acoustic waves (SAW) have good vibration and shock resistance because of absence of elastic suspensions, ability to work at 50 000 g loads, small dimensions, cheap in mass production, etc. Unfortunately, there are some limits for further development of such gyroscopes because it requires prototype production in small series. In this study we have investigated laser ablation method to solve this problem. Idea of this method is to evaporate unnecessary metallization from the piezoelectric crystal surface, e.g. to “draw” the electrode topology with a powerful laser beam. Main advantages of the method are as follows: possibility of fast and cheap sensors prototyping even with complicated topologies; reduction of the number of production process stages; possibility of topology correction (especially in case of transparent crystal housing); operation with thicker metal layers then traditional photolithography method, etc.

Surface Acoustic Wave Gyroscopic Effect in an Interdigital Transducer.

The surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscopic effect in an interdigital transducer (IDT) deposited on a piezoelectric substrate is different from that in the piezoelectric substrate due to a reflection induced by IDT. In this work, an extended coupling-of-mode (COM) model including the gyroscopic effect and the reflection was developed to analyze the SAW gyroscopic effect. First, dispersion characteristics parameters of SAW were fitted according to the data derived using the finite element method (FEM). Then, variations of stop band edge frequency were calculated using the extended COM theory by integrating dispersion characteristics parameters into the COM model. We compared its results with those obtained via FEM analysis to confirm the proposed model’s validity. We found that the variation in stop band edge frequency related to gyroscope effect reached the maximum value with a zero reflectivity value. For split IDT, the sensitivity of gyroscope effect is 0.036 Hz/rad/s with a lower than 1% normalized thickness. Conversely, the value of sensitivity was almost zero for bidirectional IDT and electrode width controlled single-phase unidirectional transducer (EWC/SPUDT).

Novel on chip rotation detection based on the acousto-optic effect in surface acoustic wave gyroscopes

An Acousto-Optic Gyroscope (AOG) consisting of a photonic integrated device embedded into two inherently matched piezoelectric surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators sharing the same acoustic cavity is presented. This constitutes the first demonstration of a micromachined strain-based optomechanical gyroscope that uses the effective index of the optical waveguide due to the acousto-optic effect rather than conventional displacement sensing. The theoretical analysis comparing various photonic phase sensing techniques is presented and verified experimentally for the cases based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, as well as a racetrack resonator. This first prototype integrates acoustic and photonic components on the same lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) substrate and constitutes the first proof of concept demonstration of the AOG. This approach enables the development of a new class of micromachined gyroscopes that combines the advantages of both conventional microscale vibrating gyroscopes and optical gyroscopes.

Enhancing the sensitivity of three-axis detectable surface acoustic wave gyroscope by using a floating thin piezoelectric membrane

A new type of surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope was developed on a floating thin piezoelectric membrane to enhance sensitivity and reliability by removing a bulk noise effect and by importing a higher amplitude of SAW. The developed device constitutes a two-port SAW resonator with a metallic dot array between two interdigital transducers (IDTs), and a one-port SAW delay line. The bulk silicon was completely etched away, leaving only a thin piezoelectric membrane with a thickness of one wavelength. A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) was connected to a SAW resonator to activate the SAW resonator, while the SAW delay line was connected to the oscilloscope to monitor any variations caused by the Coriolis force. When the device was rotated, a secondary wave was generated, changing the amplitude of the SAW delay line. The highest sensitivity was observed in a device with a full acoustic wavelength thickness of the membrane because most of the acoustic field is confined within an acoustic wavelength thickness from the top surface; moreover, the thin-membrane-based gyroscope eliminates the bulk noise effect flowing along the bulk substrate. The obtained sensitivity and linearity of the SAW gyroscope were ∼27.5 µV deg−1 s−1 and ∼4.3%, respectively. Superior directivity was observed. The device surface was vacuum-sealed using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) bonding to eliminate environmental interference. A three-axis detectable gyroscope was also implemented by placing three gyrosensors with the same configuration at right angles to each other on a printed circuit board.

The development of micromachined gyroscope structure and circuitry technology.

This review surveys micromachined gyroscope structure and circuitry technology. The principle of micromachined gyroscopes is first introduced. Then, different kinds of MEMS gyroscope structures, materials and fabrication technologies are illustrated. Micromachined gyroscopes are mainly categorized into micromachined vibrating gyroscopes (MVGs), piezoelectric vibrating gyroscopes (PVGs), surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscopes, bulk acoustic wave (BAW) gyroscopes, micromachined electrostatically suspended gyroscopes (MESGs), magnetically suspended gyroscopes (MSGs), micro fiber optic gyroscopes (MFOGs), micro fluid gyroscopes (MFGs), micro atom gyroscopes (MAGs), and special micromachined gyroscopes. Next, the control electronics of micromachined gyroscopes are analyzed. The control circuits are categorized into typical circuitry and special circuitry technologies. The typical circuitry technologies include typical analog circuitry and digital circuitry, while the special circuitry consists of sigma delta, mode matching, temperature/quadrature compensation and novel special technologies. Finally, the characteristics of various typical gyroscopes and their development tendency are discussed and investigated in detail.

Development of novel dual-axis sensing gyroscope using surface acoustic wave

This study proposes a new dual-axis sensing gyroscope based on SAW (surface acoustic wave), in which two substrates are bonded together and completely sealed. The gyroscope on the bottom substrate is used for y-axis Coriolis force detection while the upper one is used for x-axis angular velocity. The bottom gyroscope was mounted onto the silicon substrate and four sides were completely sealed by JSR photoresist (PR) to protect the sensor surface from undesirable factors like temperature and humidity. The obtained sensitivity and linearity of the SAW gyroscope for y-axis Coriolis force were 45.32 and 0.907Hz/(deg/s), respectively. And the sensitivity and linearity for x-axis were 27.34 and 0.837Hz/(deg/s), respectively. Simultaneous detections of two Coriolis forces in the orthogonal direction were successfully demonstrated, and high shock survival and thermal stability were also observed from the developed devices, denoting that this sensor system is very useful for detecting multi-axis Coriolis forces at a time as well as protecting the sensor surface.

A novel shock and heat tolerant gyrosensor utilizing a one-port surface acoustic wave reflective delay line

A surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based gyroscope with an 80 MHz central frequency was fabricated on a 128° YX LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate. The fabricated gyroscope is composed of a SAW resonator, metallic dots and a SAW reflective delay line. The SAW resonator, which is activated by a voltage-controlled oscillator, generates a stable standing wave with a large amplitude at an 80 MHz resonant frequency, and the metallic dots induce a Coriolis force and generate a secondary SAW in the direction orthogonal to the propagating standing wave. The SAW reflective delay line is employed to measure the Coriolis effect by analyzing the deviations in the resonant frequency of the SAW reflective delay line. A combined finite element method/boundary element method was utilized to extract the optimal device parameters prior to fabrication. The device was fabricated according to the modeling results and then measured on a rate table. When the device was subjected to an angular rotation, a secondary SAW from the vibrating metallic dots was generated owing to the Coriolis force, resulting in a perturbation of the propagating SAW in the SAW reflective delay line. Depending on the angular velocity, the reflection peak of SAW reflective delay line was changed linearly, and this change was measured by the network analyzer. The measured results matched the modeling results well. The obtained sensitivity was approximately 1.23 deg/(deg/s) in an angular rate range of 0–2000 deg s−1. Good thermal and shock stabilities were observed during the evaluation process proving the shock and heat robustness of the fabricated SAW gyroscope.

Development of a New Surface Acoustic Wave Based Gyroscope on a X-112°Y LiTaO3 Substrate

A new micro gyroscope based on the surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscopic effect was developed. The SAW gyroscopic effect is investigated by applying the surface effective permittivity method in the regime of small ratios of the rotation velocity and the frequency of the SAW. The theoretical analysis indicates that the larger velocity shift was observed from the rotated X-112°Y LiTaO3 substrate. Then, two SAW delay lines with reverse direction and an operation frequency of 160 MHz are fabricated on a same X-112°Y LiTaO3 chip as the feedback of two SAW oscillators, which act as the sensor element. The single-phase unidirectional transducer (SPUDT) and combed transducers were used to structure the delay lines to improve the frequency stability of the oscillator. The rotation of a piezoelectric medium gives rise to a shift of the propagation velocity of SAW due to the Coriolis force, resulting in the frequency shift of the SAW device, and hence, the evaluation of the sensor performance. Meanwhile, the differential structure was performed to double the sensitivity and compensate for the temperature effects. Using a precise rate table, the performance of the fabricated SAW gyroscope was evaluated experimentally. A sensitivity of 1.332 Hz deg−1 s at angular rates of up to 1,000 deg s−1 and good linearity are observed.

Enhanced sensitivity of a surface acoustic wave gyroscope using a progressive wave

A surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based gyroscope with an 80 MHz central frequency was developed on two different piezoelectric substrates (128° YX LiNbO3 and ST-X quartz). A sensor was developed that contained two SAW oscillators. One oscillator was used as the sensing element and had metallic dots in the cavity between the input and output interdigital transducers (IDTs). The other oscillator was used as a reference element. Two oscillators were formed to extract the Coriolis effect by comparing the oscillation frequencies between these two delay lines, and metallic dots were used to induce a Coriolis force. Three different IDT structures were used to obtain a stable progressive SAW. Coupling of modes modeling was conducted prior to fabrication for determining the optimal device parameters. The device was fabricated and then measured on a rate table in accordance with the results of simulation. When the device was subjected to an angular rotation, the oscillation frequencies of the two oscillators were observed to differ. Depending on the angular velocity, the frequency difference was linearly modulated. The obtained sensitivity was approximately 62.57 Hz deg−1 s−1 at angular rates in the range 0–1000 deg s−1 in the case of the LiNbO3 substrate and single-phase unidirectional transducer and combed electrode structure. The dependence of the device performance on the piezoelectric substrate, IDT structure, and temperatures was also characterized. The developed device has good resistance to mechanical shock and stability to temperature.

A New Micro-rate Sensor Based on Shear Horizontal Surface Acoustic Wave Gyroscopic Effect

In this paper, we present a new micro-rate sensor based on the shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) gyroscopic effect. The new SH-SAW propagating along the ST-90°X quartz substrate with heavy metallization exhibits excellent temperature stability, large acoustic velocity, high electromechanical coupling factors, and very small propagation attenuation. The response mechanism of such an SH-SAW micro-rate sensor was established using partial-wave analysis methods. The angular detection sensitivity in the propagation path of SH-SAW was evaluated and the effect of the metal interdigital transducer (IDT) electrode thickness on the sensor performance was also studied, resulting in the realization of the optimized design parameters prior to fabrication. Two SH-SAW delay lines with a reverse direction and an operation of 80 MHz on the same chip are fabricated as the feedback of SAW oscillators. The single-phase unidirectional transducer (SPUDT) was used to structure the delay lines to decrease the insertion loss. The Coriolis force from the external rotation acts on the particles along the SAW propagation path, then a pseudo SAW was induced, and couples with the initial SH-SAW; thus, the SAW velocity was deviated. Meanwhile, the differential oscillation frequency was changed linearly and used to characterize the input angular rate. Then, using the precise rate table, the performance of the fabricated SH-SAW rate sensor was evaluated experimentally. A sensitivity of 1.268 Hz deg-1 s-1 at angular rates of up to 2000 deg s-1, good linearity, and excellent temperature stability are observed.

Enhanced Sensitivity of a Surface Acoustic Wave Gyroscope

In this paper, we present an optimal design and performance evaluation of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope. It consists of a two-port SAW resonator (SAWR) and a SAW sensor (SAWS) structured using a delay line pattern. The SAW resonator provides a stable reference vibration and creates a standing wave, and the vibrating metallic dot array at antinodes of the standing wave induces the second SAW in the normal direction by the Coriolis force, and the SAW sensor is used to detect the secondary SAW. By using the coupling of modes (COM), the SAW resonator was simulated, and the effects of the design parameters on the frequency response of the device were investigated. Also, a theoretical analysis was performed to investigate the effect of metallic dots on the frequency response of the SAW device. The measured frequency response S21 of the fabricated 80 MHz two-port SAW resonator agrees well with the simulated result, that is, a low insertion loss (∼5 dB) and a single steep resonance peak were observed. In the gyroscopic experiments using a rate table, optimal metallic dot thickness was determined, and the sensitivity of the fabricated SAW gyroscope with an optimal metallic dot thickness of ∼350 nm was determined to be 3.2 µV deg-1 s-1.

Enhanced Sensitivity of Novel Surface Acoustic Wave Microelectromechanical System-Interdigital Transducer Gyroscope

In this paper, we present a novel microelectromechanical system-interdigital transducer (MEMS-IDT) surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope with an 80 MHz central frequency on a 128° YX LiNbO3 wafer. The developed MEMS-IDT gyroscope is composed of a two-port SAW resonator, a dual delay line oscillator, and metallic dots. The SAW resonator provides a stable standing wave, and the vibrating metallic dot at an antinode of the standing wave induces the second SAW in the normal direction of its vibrating axis. The dual delay line oscillator detects the Coriolis force by comparing the resonant frequencies between two oscillators through the interference effect. The coupling of mode (COM) modeling was used to extract the optimal design parameters prior to fabrication. In the electrical testing by the network analyzer, the fabricated SAW resonator and delay lines showed low insertion loss and similar operation frequencies between a resonator and delay lines. When the device was rotated, the resonant frequency differences between two oscillators linearly varied owing to the Coriolis force. The obtained sensitivity was approximately 119 Hz deg-1 s-1 in the angular rate range of 0–1000 deg/s. Satisfactory linearity and superior directivity were also observed in the test.

Surface acoustic wave MEMS gyroscope

The design and performance evaluation of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) MEMS gyroscope is presented in this paper. This gyroscope is an integration of a SAW resonator and a SAW sensor. The SAW resonator is used to setup a stable reference vibration and SAW sensor is used for the detection of the secondary SAW generated by the Coriolis force. Further to this resonator, strategically positioned metallic dots that form an array along the standing wave anti-node locations are subjected to the reference vibratory motion. These vibrating dot arrays through the Coriolis effect will generate secondary SAW, which is picked up by the SAW sensor. The SAW resonator is designed and optimized using coupling-of-modes (COM) theory. In view of its one-layer planar configuration, this gyroscope can be implemented easily for applications requiring conformal mounting onto a surface of interest. This SAW gyroscope can be competitively priced inherently rugged, reliable and very sensitive. It is also capable of being wirelessly interrogated, without any sensor power source.