Patent ID: 6938484

Claim:
A micromachined capacitive lateral accelerometer device having a lateral input axis, the device comprising: at least one electrode having a side surface normal to the lateral input axis; and a relatively large proofmass having top and bottom surfaces spaced apart along a z-axis substantially perpendicular to the input axis and having a thickness between the top and bottom surfaces, a first pair of side surfaces spaced apart alone the input axis, a second pair of side surfaces spaced apart along a lateral dimension of the proofmass, at least one of the first pair of side surfaces being normal to the input axis and which extends along the lateral dimension of the proofmass and which is movable against acceleration relative to the at least one electrode due to inertial force along the input axis to obtain a lateral capacitive variation between the at least one electrode and the proofmass and wherein the side surface of the at least one electrode and the at least one of the first pair of side surfaces are spaced apart to define a narrow, high-aspect ratio sensing gap which extends along substantially an entire lateral dimension of the proofmass and wherein the proofmass forms a sense capacitor with the at least one electrode.