Design and fabrication of wireless remotely readable MEMS based microaccelerometers

The integration of MEMS, SAW devices and required microelectronics and conformal antenna to realize a programmable wireless accelerometer is presented in this paper. This unique combination of technologies results in a novel accelerometer that can be remotely sensed by a microwave system with the advantage of no power requirements at the sensor site, The microaccelerometer presented is simple in construction and easy to manufacture with existing silicon micromachining techniques. The relatively small size of the sensor makes it an ideal conformal sensor, The accelerometer can be used for applications such as air bag deployment sensors, vibration sensors for noise control, deflection and strain sensors, inertial and dimensional positioning systems, ABS/traction control, smart suspension, active roll stabilization and four wheel steering. The wireless accelerometer is very attractive to study the response of a 'dummy' in automobile crash tests.