Digital self-calibration method for MEMS sensors

This paper presents a digital self-calibration method for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) using a relay-feedback loop and a set of discrete-time filters. This method is based on the measurement of limit-cycles at the comparator's output, which result from a synchronization phenomenon between the natural frequency of the MEMS and the clock frequency of the discrete-time components. We show how quantized information concerning the MEMS parameters may be extracted from the shape of the limit-cycle, which depends on the characteristics of the MEMS (pulsation, damping, etc.). This digital technique is amplitude-independent, relatively insensitive to noise, and not costly to implement. Details concerning its implementation are discussed, and some simulation and experimental results are given.