A physical quantity sensor has a first movable electrode section which has a portion facing a first fixed electrode section and a second movable electrode section which has a portion facing a second fixed electrode section, and is provided with a movable mass section which is formed in a shape which encloses a first fixed electrode side fixed section, a second fixed electrode side fixed section, a first movable electrode side fixed section, and a second movable electrode side fixed section in planar view.

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device, which includes a first substrate comprising an upper surface and a second substrate disposed over the first substrate. The semiconductor device also includes a first electrode disposed in the second substrate and configured to move in a direction substantially parallel to the upper surface in response to a pressure difference, and a second electrode disposed in the second substrate. The second electrode is configured to provide a capacitance in conjunction with the first electrode.

Systems and methods are described herein for extracting inertial information from nonlinear periodic signals. A system for determining an inertial parameter can include circuitry configured for receiving a first periodic analog signal from a first sensor that is responsive to motion of a proof mass, converting the first periodic analog signal to a first periodic digital signal, determining a result of trigonometrically inverting a quantity, the quantity based on the first periodic digital signal, and determining the inertial parameter based on the result.

Systems and methods are described herein for detecting and measuring inertial parameters, such as acceleration. In particular, the systems and methods relate to vibratory inertial sensors implementing time-domain sensing techniques. Within a composite mass sensor system, a sense mass may oscillate at a frequency different from its actuation frequency, allowing flexibility when integrating the sensor into drive systems without sacrificing sensitivity.

The invention relates to an acceleration sensor (100) having a sensor material (120) which is mounted by means of spring elements (130) so as to be movable along a movement axis (x) over a substrate (110), first trim electrodes (140) which are connected to the sensor material (120), and second trim electrodes (150) which are connected to the substrate (110) and are associated with the first trim electrodes (140). When the sensor material is deflected along the movement axis, a spring force acting on the sensor material (120) is generated by the spring elements (130), and when the sensor material (120) is deflected, an electrostatic force acting on the sensor material (120), which counteracts the spring force, is generated by application of an electrical trim voltage between the first trim electrodes (140) and the second trim elements (150).

A micromechanical structure has a first micromechanical element, a second micromechanical element and a torsion spring arrangement having a first torsion spring element, having a first center line, mechanically connected to the first micromechanical element at a first contact region and to the second micromechanical element at a second contact region, and having a second torsion spring element, having a second center line, mechanically connected to the first micromechanical member at a third contact region and to the second micromechanical member at a fourth contact region in order to connect the first micromechanical member and the second micromechanical member to be movable relative to each other. A distance between the first and second center lines, starting from the first and third contact regions toward the second and fourth contact regions, decreases in a first portion and increases in a second portion. In a rest position of the micromechanical structure, the first and second torsion spring elements are arranged without contact to each other.

A physical quantity sensor includes a movable electrode side fixed section, a first fixed electrode side fixed section which has a first fixed electrode section and a second fixed electrode side fixed section which has a second fixed electrode section, a movable mass section which has a first movable electrode section that has a portion facing the first fixed electrode section and a second movable electrode section that has a portion facing the second fixed electrode section and which is formed in a shape that encloses the movable electrode side fixed section, the first fixed electrode side fixed section, and the second fixed electrode side fixed section in planar view, and an elastic section which connects the movable electrode side fixed section and the movable mass section.

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor device, which includes a first substrate comprising an upper surface and a second substrate disposed over the first substrate. The semiconductor device also includes a first electrode disposed in the second substrate and configured to move in a direction substantially parallel to the upper surface in response to a pressure difference, and a second electrode disposed in the second substrate. The second electrode is configured to provide a capacitance in conjunction with the first electrode.

A micromechanical sensor includes a first functional layer, a second functional layer, and a third functional layer The second functional layer is situated between the first and third functional layers. The second and third functional layers are connected to each other by a connecting area of the third functional layer. The second functional layer is underneath the connecting area at a defined distance from the first functional layer. The first functional layer is underneath the connecting area on an oxide that is situated on a substrate.

A physical quantity sensor includes a base substrate and an element piece bonded to the base substrate. The element piece includes fixed portions fixed to the base substrate, a first fixed electrode finger supported on the fixed portion, a second fixed electrode finger supported on the fixed portion, a fixed portion that is positioned between the fixed portions and is fixed to the base substrate, a movable portion that is displaceable with respect to the fixed portion, an elastic portion that links the fixed portion and the movable portion, a first movable electrode finger that is supported on the movable portion and that is arranged facing the first fixed electrode finger, and a second movable electrode finger that is supported on the movable portion and is arranged facing the second fixed electrode finger.