Patent ID: 7146856

Claim:
A Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensor device comprising: a silicon substrate having a substantially planar surface; a movable sensing element having a substantially planar surface forming first and second sensing portions suspended by a flexure in close proximity to the substrate surface; the flexure suspending the sensing element for motion relative to the substrate surface about a stationary attachment point, the flexure having a substantially inflexible portion adjacent to the attachment point, and a substantially flexible portion between the inflexible portion and the sensing element where it is attached between the first and second sensing portions of the sensing element, wherein a static geometric centerline is defined by a geometric axis of the flexure in an undeflected state and a dynamic centerline is defined by a centerline of the flexible portion of the flexure that is offset from the static geometric centerline; and first and second metal electrodes respectively positioned on the substrate surface on opposite sides of the flexure, a portion of the first and second electrodes forming respective first and second capacitors with the first and second sensing portions of the sensing element, each electrode having a geometric centerline substantially parallel to the geometric centerline of the flexure, wherein the geometric centerlines of the metal electrodes are symmetrically positioned from the dynamic centerline of the flexure.