4
Sensor Device Data
Freescale Semiconductor
MMA1260D
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The Freescale Semiconductor accelerometeris asurface--
micromachined integrated--circuit accelerometer.
The device consists of a surface micromachined capaci-
tive sensing cell (g--cell) and a CMOS signal conditioning
ASIC contained in a single integrated circuit package. The
sensing element is sealed hermetically at the wafer level us-
ing a bulk micromachined “cap’’ wafer.
The g--cell is a mechanical structure formed fromsemicon-
ductor materials (polysilicon) using semiconductor pro-
cesses (masking and etching). It can be modeled as two
stationary plates with a moveable plate in--between. The
center plate can be deflected from its rest position by sub-
jecting the system to an acceleration (Figure 2).
When the center plate deflects, the distance from it to one
fixed plate will increase by the same amount that the dis-
tance to the other plate decreases. The change in distance is
a measure of acceleration.
The g--cell plates form two back--to--back capacitors (Fig-
ure 3). As the center plate moves with acceleration, the dis-
tance between the plates changes and each capacitor’s
value will change, (C = A
ε
/D). Where A is the area of the
plate,
ε
is the dielectric constant, and D is the distance be-
tween the plates.
The CMOS ASIC uses switched capacitor techniques to
measure the g--cell capacitors and extract the acceleration
data from the difference between the two capacitors. The
ASIC also signal conditions and filters (switched capacitor)
the signal, providing a high level output voltage that is ratio-
metric and proportional to acceleration.
Acceleration
Figure 2. Transducer
Physical Model
Figure 3. Equivalent
Circuit Model
SPECIAL FEATURES
Filtering
The Freescale Semiconductor accelerometers contain an
onboard 2--pole switched capacitor filter. A Bessel imple-
mentation is used because it provides a maximally flat delay
response (linear phase) thus preserving pulse shape integri-
ty. Because the filter is realized using switched capacitor
techniques, there is no requirement for external passive
components (resistors and capacitors) to set the cut--off fre-
quency.
Self--Test
The sensor provides a self--test feature that allows the ver-
ification of the mechanical and electrical integrity of the ac-
celerometer at any time before or after installation. A fourth
“plate’’ is used in the g--cell as a self--test plate. When the
user applies a logic high input to the self--test pin, a cali-
brated potential is applied across the self--test plate and
the moveable plate. The resulting electrostatic force
(Fe =
1
/
2
AV
2
/d
2
) causes the center plate to deflect. The re-
sultant deflection is measured by the accelerometer’s control
ASIC and a proportional output voltage results. This proce-
dure assures that both the mechanical (g--cell) andelectronic
sections of the accelerometer are functioning.
Status
Freescale Semiconductor accelerometers include fault
detection circuitry and a fault latch. The Status pin is an out-
put from the fault latch, OR’d with self--test, and is set high
whenever the following event occurs:
Parity of the EPROM bits becomes odd in number.
The fault latch can be reset by a rising edge on the self--
test input pin, unless one (or more) of the fault conditions
continues to exist.