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.