Family of MEMS Capacitive Accelerometer Chips by Silicon Designs

The following Silicon Designs’ single-axis, industrial-grade surface mount MEMS capacitive accelerometer chip families are now available, in quantities ranging from test samples up to OEM volumes.

Model 1521 Series

Model 1521 Series low-cost, industrial-grade, high-stability OEM surface mount accelerometer chips, offered in eight unique standard ranges from ±2g to ±400g. Each features a ±4V differential output and is offered with a choice of either a 20-pin LCC (leadless chip carrier) or J-lead surface mount package, both of which are Nitrogen gas-damped, hermetically-sealed and RoHS-compliant. The distinguishing feature of the Model 1521 Series is its integration of a high-quality MEMS capacitive sense element, together with both an amplifier and internal temperature sensor.

The industry-best-in-class MEMS capacitive sense element of the Model 1521 Series provides long-term measurement stability (+5 VDC, 5mA power), reliable operation, durability, 5,000 g shock survivability, and zero signal degradation. The series is expressly designed for zero-to-medium frequency testing and instrumentation applications that require extremely low noise (with 7 μg/√Hz typical for 2 g full-scale versions) and long-term stability. As such, they can respond to frequencies from zero (DC) to 2000+ Hz and can reliably perform over a standard operating temperature range of −55°C to +125°C.

Model 1522 Series

The Model 1522 Series enhanced thermal performance MEMS capacitive accelerometer chips are offered in eight unique standard ranges from ±2 g to ±400 g (20-pin LCC package only). Its distinguishing features are its low-noise, superior bias, and scale factor performance over an expanded standard operating temperature range that matches the Model 1521 Series at −55°C to +125°C.

The enhanced temperature performance of the Model 1522 Series allow these MEMS capacitive analogue surface mount accelerometers to be specified within an expanded variety of zero-to-medium frequency testing and instrumentation applications, including those in which particularly large or rapid temperature variations, thermal gradients, or other hot and cold temperature extremes are present.

To ensure that their maximum reliability and measurement accuracy under thermally volatile conditions, each Model 1522 Series accelerometer chip is individually tested, programmed, calibrated, and verified within a climate chamber environment.

Model 1531

The Model 1531 high-temperature MEMS capacitive accelerometer chips are offered in seven unique standard ranges from ±5 g to ±400 g. This series provides reliable and repeatable measurements within demanding applications, including higher temperature environments from −55°C to +175°C. The Model 1531 features near-identical performance specifications to that of the Model 1521 Series, but with additional improvements in terms of long-term thermal durability.

The robust design of the Model 1531 Series incorporates both high-temperature materials and rigorous temperature conditioning protocols. Internal components are housed in a Nitrogen gas-damped, hermetically-sealed and RoHS-compliant, 20-pin J-lead surface mount package, thereby further isolating it from surface thermal expansion. The Model 1531 Series is additionally and meticulously tested within a climate chamber environment, thereby ensuring its continued performance reliability in temperatures of up to +175°C.

Carefully regulated manufacturing processes at Silicon Designs ensure that each MEMS capacitive accelerometer chip is made to be virtually identical in both size and configuration. This allows end users the added time savings and flexibility of being able to swap out components from different Series models within the same g-range, with few-to-no testing modifications.