A μGal MOEMS gravimeter designed with free-form anti-springs

Shuang Wu, Wenhui Yan, Xiaoxu Wang (), Qingxiong Xiao, Zhenshan Wang, Jiaxin Sun, Xinlong Yu, Yaoxian Yang, Qixuan Zhu, Guantai Yang, Zhongyang Yao, Pengfei Li, Chao Jiang, Wei Huang () and Qianbo Lu ()
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Shuang Wu: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Wenhui Yan: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Xiaoxu Wang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Qingxiong Xiao: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Zhenshan Wang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Jiaxin Sun: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Xinlong Yu: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Yaoxian Yang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Qixuan Zhu: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Guantai Yang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Zhongyang Yao: Hunan University, Yuelu District
Pengfei Li: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Chao Jiang: Hunan University, Yuelu District
Wei Huang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Qianbo Lu: Northwestern Polytechnical University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Gravimeter measures gravitational acceleration, which is valuable for geophysical applications such as hazard forecasting and prospecting. Gravimeters have historically been large and expensive instruments. Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System gravimeters feature small size and low cost through scaling and integration, which may allow large-scale deployment. However, current Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System gravimeters face challenges in achieving ultra-high sensitivity under fabrication tolerance and limited size. Here, we demonstrate a μGal-level Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical-System gravimeter by combining a freeform anti-spring design and an optical readout. A multi-stage algorithmic design approach is proposed to achieve high acceleration sensitivity without making high-aspect ratio springs. An optical grating-based readout is integrated, offering pm-level displacement sensitivity. Measurements reveal that the chip-scale sensing unit achieves a resonant frequency of 1.71 Hz and acceleration-displacement sensitivity of over 95 μm/Gal with an etching aspect ratio of smaller than 400:30. The benchmark with a commercial gravimeter PET demonstrates a self-noise of 1.1 μGal Hz−1/2 at 0.5 Hz, sub-1 μGal Hz−1/2 at 0.45 Hz, and a drift rate down to 153 μGal/day. The high performance and small size of the Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical-System gravimeter suggest potential applications in industrial, defense, and geophysics.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57176-z

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