​Motion sensors of all types are nowadays ubiquitous in everyday objects. As their use increases, so do the requirements in terms of their miniaturization, cost, performance and robustness. Gyroscopes are used for measuring rotational movements. In high-vibration environments such as those found in automotive and avionic systems, they must be able to detect a variation of less than one degree per hour—a speed of rotation around ten times slower than the Earth spins.

Gyroscopes operate at a specific resonant frequency, which poses considerable technical challenges. When this operating frequency and the frequency of vibrations in the surrounding environment are similar, the mechanical disturbances generated can distort measurements. Researchers from CEA-Leti and the POLIMI worked together to solve this problem. They developed a gyroscope that operates in the high frequency range, at around 50 kHz, beyond the parasitic vibration frequencies that sometimes occur in harsh environments.

Increasing frequency without compromising sensor performance required a technological leap that uses ultra-sensitive piezoresistive nano-gauges to replace the capacitive detection technology in MEMS gyroscopes. This new 1.5 mm² high-frequency gyroscope, protected by multiple patents, outshines other state-of-the-art technology, not least in terms of its bias, noise and linearity specifications.

 Main gyroscope performances reported in a paper titled "50kHz MEMS gyroscopes based on NEMS sensing with 1.3 mdps/√Hz ARW and 0.5°/h stability" at IEEE SENSORS 2020.

The sensor is currently fabricated on CEA-Leti's silicon micro- and nanofabrication platform. It is, however, compatible with most MEMS foundries. M&NEMS technology is used in the fabrication process to integrate the gyroscope with a three-axis accelerometer and/or high-performance pressure sensor on a single chip, depending on the requirements. This work was recently presented at the IEEE SENSORS 2020 conference.