A liquid MEMS inclinometer sensor with improved sensitivity

This paper proposes a liquid microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inclinometer sensor and reports its design, fabrication, and characterization. In the sensor, a liquid metal droplet moves inside an annular-shaped channel, driven by gravity. The position of the liquid metal is reflected by electrodes and the new tilting angle is obtained. A MEMS fabrication process has been developed, and characterisation of the sensor has been carried out. Experiments show that the sensor has a resolution of 3.625° and a wide measuring range of ±45°. In comparison with solid MEMS gyroscopes, the proposed liquid sensor has advantages of fewer manufacturing steps and low costs. Beside, its resilience against impact is outstanding. Its sensitivity and accuracy are more than sufficient for hand held electronics, which are the main targeted applications of the proposed liquid sensor.