a system and method are disclosed for automatically calibrating capacitive transducers to neutralize feed - through capacitance using linear actuation . the method includes starting with an initial neutralization capacitance , applying no electrostatic force and two known electrostatic forces to a proof mass of the transducer , recording the transducer output changes due to the applied forces ; and determining how to revise neutralization capacitance based on the changes . the method can use a binary search to find a final neutralization capacitance providing the best linearity . the method can include comparing the final linearity to a threshold linearity . the electrostatic forces can be applied using a charge control method where the electrostatic force is a linear function of the actuation duration . the linear actuation can be used for continuous self - test of capacitive sensors .