ESA GNC Conference Papers Repository

The development progress of a MEMS based accelerometer component towards a TRL5 is presented herein. The component comprises of two capacitive MEMS detectors which provide acceleration quantification in the ±1g and ±20g ranges respectively, as well as a two channel mixed signal ASIC. The principle of operation of the MEMS detector along with the key parameters that were taken into account during sensor development and simulation are presented. In addition, measurement performance characteristics are summarized. The features of the ASIC are also analyzed with emphasis given on the design and layout techniques implemented in order to achieve radiation hardness which is of great importance in space applications. The packaging scheme of the accelerometer component, currently under development is also briefly described.