A 3-Axis Catch-and-Release Gyroscope with Pantograph Vibration for Low-Power and Fast Start-Up Applications

This paper presents the first 3-axis MEMS gyroscope that employs intermittent free vibration realized by a "Catch-and-Release (CR)" method. While CR enables drive power reduction and instant start-up, its application to multi-axis tuning-fork (TF) gyroscope is not straightforward, since the increased degrees-of-freedom is likely to induce hazardous beat during the free vibration. To prevent this, a pantograph structure is introduced, in which drive motion is constrained by fixed-length joints, thereby eliminating the spurious beat. The fabricated gyroscope shows 3-axis sensitivities of 0.3-0.6 aF/dps and <2% cross-axis sensitivities. The consecutive CR operation with a release DC voltage at 25 V and a high Q factor of 440k at 20 kHz of pantograph mode are confirmed.