Patent ID: 8459115

Claim:
A MEMS accelerometer with enhanced structural strength, comprising: multiple springs wherein each spring includes: a spring anchor fixed on a substrate; and an extensible part having: a fixed end fixed to the spring anchor; and a free end floating above the substrate; wherein the extensible part is folded back and forth to form a substantially polygon shape as a whole, in which the fixed end is not located around a corner of the substantially polygon shape, and the free end is located within an opposite side of the substantially polygon shape and neither around a corner; a proof mass having multiple joints connected to corresponding free ends of the multiple springs respectively; and multiple in-plane sense electrodes wherein each in-plane sense electrode includes: at least one stator fixed on the substrate, having: a stator anchor fixed on the substrate; multiple stator metal layers fixed to the stator anchor; and at least one stator connection plug for connecting adjacent layers of the stator metal layers; and at least one rotor connected to the proof mass, having: multiple rotor metal layers connected to the proof mass; and at least one rotor connection plug for connecting adjacent layers of the rotor metal layers; wherein a top one, a bottom one, or both top and bottom ones of the stator metal layers include multiple stator metal sectors which are not connected to one another at the same level but are connected to an adjacent stator metal layer by the at least one stator connection plug, and the multiple stator metal sectors belong to one stator of one in-plane sense electrode, or wherein a top one, a bottom one, or both top and bottom ones of the rotor metal layers include rotor multiple metal sectors which are not connected to one another at the same level but are connected to an adjacent rotor metal layer by the at least one rotor connection plug, and the multiple rotor metal sectors belong to one rotor of one in-plane sense electrode.