| abstract |
An accelerometer is based upon the monolithic integration of a Fabry-Perot interferometer and a p + n silicon photosensor. Transmission of light through a Fabry-Perot etalon is exponentially sensitive to small displacements in a movable mirror due to an applied accelerating force. The photosensor converts this displacement into an electrical signal as well as provides for additional amplification. Because the interferometer and photosensor are monolithically integrated on a silicon substrate, the combination is compact and has minimal parasitic elements, thereby reducing the accelerometer's noise level and increasing its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). n The accelerometer's sensitivity can be user-controlled by any one or a combination of factors: providing an electrostatic potential across the mirrors of the Fabry-Perot etalon hence selecting a desired gap therebetween; adjusting the power of the light projected to the photosensor; and pulsing the light at a selected frequency to minimize 1/f inherent system noise in the response of the accelerometer. |