Fabrication of micro-capacitive inclination sensor by resin molding
Capacitive inclination sensors have the advantage that they can easily provide a linear analog output with respect to inclination. Although inclination sensors featuring this advantages are already commercially available, they are generally too large. We fabricated a micro-capacitive inclination sensor by a combination of a resin forming method and a mold. Electrodes of the sensor are 40 μm in a gap and 12 mm2 in area. The sensor detects difference of capacitance, which varies with movement of silicone oil accompanying with inclination of the sensor. Since the dimensions of the sensing region are 5 × 5 × 3 mm3 this inclination sensor is expected to be widely used in fields where efficient and reliable position control is a primary factor to be considered. The use of resins is also expected to contribute to a reduction in the costs of materials. We successfully fabricated a micro inclination sensor as a molded product. In future, we will wire up the device to complete this inclination sensor, and will then conduct performance evaluations. If techniques using resin-molded parts are introduced to the low-cost mass-production of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems devices, the range of applications will further expand to new areas of technology and industry.