ABSTRACT
Micromachined gyroscopes use vibrating elements to sense rotation and are devoid of any rotating parts or bearings. This makes them ideally suited for inexpensive batch fabrication using planar processes and for potential integration with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry. This chapter focuses on systems and CMOS circuits that interface with the micromachined gyroscopes. Different parameters are used to specify a high-performance vibratory gyroscope system. These performance metrics are briefly discussed. Performance improvement is one aspect of microgyroscope development. While high aspect ratio micromachining provides significant improvement in sensor performance, it also enables the development of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes that can operate at lower voltages. The MEMS devices can then leverage the benefits offered by state-of-the-art CMOS processes and operate off a low-voltage battery.
