We present the fabrication and testing of a silicon carbide （SiC） balanced mass doublended tuning fork that survives harsh environments without compromising the device strain sensitivity and resolution bandwidth. Th...We present the fabrication and testing of a silicon carbide （SiC） balanced mass doublended tuning fork that survives harsh environments without compromising the device strain sensitivity and resolution bandwidth. The device features a material stack that survives corrosive environments and enables high-temperature operation. To perform hightemperature testing, a specialized setup was constructed that allows the tuning fork to be characterized using traditional silicon electronics. The tuning fork has been operated at 600°C in the presence of dry steam for short durations. This tuning fork has also been tested to 64 000 G using a hard-launch, soft-catch shock implemented with a light gas gun. However, the device still has a strain sensitivity of 66 Hz/μe and strain resolution of 0. 045 μe in a 10 kHz bandwidth. As such, this balanced-mass double-ended tuning fork can be used to create a variety of different sensors including strain gauges, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and pressure transducers. Given the adaptable fabrication process flow, this device could be useful to micro-electro-mechanical systems （MEMS） designers creating sensors for a variety of different applications.展开更多
文摘We present the fabrication and testing of a silicon carbide （SiC） balanced mass doublended tuning fork that survives harsh environments without compromising the device strain sensitivity and resolution bandwidth. The device features a material stack that survives corrosive environments and enables high-temperature operation. To perform hightemperature testing, a specialized setup was constructed that allows the tuning fork to be characterized using traditional silicon electronics. The tuning fork has been operated at 600°C in the presence of dry steam for short durations. This tuning fork has also been tested to 64 000 G using a hard-launch, soft-catch shock implemented with a light gas gun. However, the device still has a strain sensitivity of 66 Hz/μe and strain resolution of 0. 045 μe in a 10 kHz bandwidth. As such, this balanced-mass double-ended tuning fork can be used to create a variety of different sensors including strain gauges, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and pressure transducers. Given the adaptable fabrication process flow, this device could be useful to micro-electro-mechanical systems （MEMS） designers creating sensors for a variety of different applications.
