Diffractive-reflective optical acceleration sensor (DROPS)

Classic MEMS acceleration sensors always exhibit signal drift. Sensors with minimized drift are expensive and often require complex reading. DROPS is developing a technology for acceleration sensors that enables virtually drift-free sensors at low cost.

In order to achieve a practically drift-free sensor technology, Hahn-Schickard's expertise in diffractive-reflective optical rotary encoders and MEMS acceleration sensors is advantageously combined and transferred to the new sensor category. This allows the number of material layers to be deposited on the MEMS to be minimized, thereby avoiding intrinsic mechanical stresses that are usually responsible for drift. Additionally, the number of masks required is minimized, reducing the cost of the MEMS. Basically, two masks are required, one for the nanoimprint lithography of the diffractive structures and one for exposing the spring-mass system. In contrast to other optical acceleration sensor technologies, reading is extremely simple and therefore cost-effective, and enables a significant increase in resolution through interpolation. The simple construction technology makes this sensor technology particularly interesting for SMEs, which is underlined by the composition of the project committee. Hahn-Schickard can take over the production of MEMS or AVT for small series.