ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the design and implementation of the first inertial sensor to use bondwires, which can be readily integrated into any integrated circuit (IC) process. Chip-to-chip wire bonding can reduce inductance deviation to ~6%, which is comparable to the variation of on-chip inductors and capacitors in a standard IC technology design. The bondwire spacing is set by the bondpad pitch used in the complementary metal oxide semiconductor fabrication process, so it is typically not a design parameter. Bondwire inductance varies with temperature and package assembly. The chapter explores the mechanical and electrical characteristics of bondwires and presents a bondwire model that reveals the performance implications on a bondwire inertial sensor. It examines the corresponding bondwire model using finite element method simulations and presents the results. The chapter shows bondwire inertial sensing theory and circuitry. It also shows a single-axis bondwire accelerometer prototype. Gold, aluminum, and copper are the most common materials for bondwires.
