High-Vacuum Package for MEMS Inertial Sensors Navy STTR FY2012.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2012.A Topic No.: N12A-T008 Topic Title: High-Vacuum Package for MEMS Inertial Sensors Proposal No.: N12A-008-0087 Firm: Creare Inc. P.O. Box 71 Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 Contact: Michael Jaeger Phone: (603) 643-3800 Web Site: www.creare.com Abstract: High-sensitivity resonant vibratory microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors are typically vacuum packaged in discreet packages. Wafer-scale vacuum packaging offers size, weight, and cost advantages, and the packages are more shock and vibration tolerant. However, the high internal pressures and leak rates achieved to date through wafer-scale vacuum packaging have rendered this an approach suitable for only the lowest performance devices. For this project, Creare Inc. and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have teamed to develop an advanced wafer-level packaging approach that offers the extremely low, sustained vacuum levels required for long-term, high-Q operation of navigation grade MEMS inertial sensors. The packaging approach also addresses susceptibility to temperature changes, mechanical vibration, and shock. The basic principles for producing and maintaining extreme vacuum levels, on which this packaging approach is based, have already been demonstrated by JPL in a sealed sensor package. In Phase I, the team will further show the feasibility of the approach at wafer scale by designing a generic sensor package and modeling its performance. In Phase II, the team will demonstrate the package performance using packaged vacuum sensors and an extremely sensitive MEMS gyroscope being developed for military firing control systems. Benefits: The proposed technology will enable low internal pressure wafer-scale vacuum packaging of high sensitivity resonant vibratory MEMS sensors and realization of their intrinsic performance capability at greatly reduced cost, reduced size and weight, and increased reliability. Benefiting sensors will include a very high precision miniature gyro for military and commercial navigation, north-locating sensors used in firing control systems and unattended ground sensors, and surveying systems. Return