Directional accelerometer and its microlithographic fabrication process

摘要

A directional accelerometer and a process for the microlithographic fabrication of such an accelerometer. The accelerometer includes a substrate having at least one recess to define at least one beam in the substrate. One of the ends of the beam is integrally formed with the remainder of the substrate. The beam, which is oriented in the first direction, is deformable into the recess in a second direction only, parallel to the substrate surface and perpendicular to the first direction. The second direction corresponds to the acceleration component to be measured. Electrical connections and contacts are formed in the substrate for the device measuring the deformations of the beam. These measurements make it possible to determine the acceleration components.