Operation of Lorentz-force MEMS magnetometers with on-off current switching

Abstract

Combined off-resonance operation and on-off switching of the driving current is applied to a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) magnetometer. This novel driving technique allows improving the signal to noise ratio (SNR), and thus the minimum measurable magnetic field, with no added cost in terms of driving current. The technique is applied to a magnetometer built in a surface micromachining process. Measurements show a 5.4 times better resolution than for operation at resonance in continuous mode.