Fabrication of capacitive acceleration sensors by the LIGA technique

Abstract By combination of the LIGA (German Acronym for Lithografie, Galvanoformung, Abformung) process with a sacrificial layer technique, movable microstructures with great structural heights can be fabricated. As a first example, a movable mass suspended on a cantilever which can be used as a capacitive acceleration sensor is presented. Calculation of the sensor characteristics shows that a capacitor gap width of 3 μm is needed. This capacitor has been fabricated up to a height of more than 100 μm. The movability of these microstructures is demonstrated by applying electrical and magnetic fields.