Topology Optimization of Capacitive MEMS Accelerometers for Seismic Applications

In this paper, a new approach is presented for topology optimization (TO) of differential capacitive accelerometers for seismic applications. This method presents the most efficient topology of an accelerometer to have maximum sensitivity in measuring seismic motion. On the other hand, the bandwidth and transverse sensitivity are limited to reduce the non-linearity and errors in the measured acceleration. The results show that TO gives creative geometry to improve the performance of an accelerometer with respect to the application and design limits. A variety of optimized designs have been presented herewith respect to the objective of performance and design constraints.