Membrane sensor member and rotation rate sensor

Abstract

The invention relates to a MEMS sensor component having a substrate with a substrate surface, a first rotor mass and two first drive elements, which are coupled to the first rotor mass by first drive coupling structures and are designed to place the first rotor mass in a first rotational oscillation about a first rotational axis, which is oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface. The first rotor mass and / or the first drive coupling structures are designed in such a way that, when a rotational rate acts on the MEMS sensor component, a first tumbling motion of the first rotor mass about a first tumbling axis, which is oriented parallel to the substrate surface, is promoted and a second tumbling motion of the first rotor mass about a second tumbling axis, which is oriented perpendicular to the first tumbling axis, is suppressed. Furthermore, the invention relates to a rotational rate sensor having such a MEMS sensor component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a MEMS sensor component and a rotation rate sensor. Background Technology

[0002] MEMS sensor components are known from existing technologies. The abbreviation MEMS here stands for Microelectromechanical Systems, which enable the miniaturization of electromechanical functional components, such as actuators and sensors, through microstructure characteristics and suitable manufacturing processes.

[0003] DE 10 2020 205 372 A1 describes a micromechanical component for a rotational rate sensor, the micromechanical component comprising: a substrate having a substrate surface; an integral first rotor mass capable of being placed in a first rotational oscillating motion about a first rotational axis oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface; and at least one first component of the micromechanical component, wherein the first rotor mass is attached to the at least one first component by at least one first spring element, wherein the at least one first spring element extends through each lateral recess on the first rotor mass and is attached to a return edge region of the first rotor mass. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention proposes a MEMS sensor component comprising a substrate having a substrate surface, a first rotor mass, and two first driving elements. The first driving elements are connected to the first rotor mass via a first driving coupling structure and configured to subject the first rotor mass to a first rotational oscillation motion about a first rotational axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. Here, the first rotor mass and / or the first driving coupling structure are designed to, when a rotational rate is applied to the MEMS sensor component, promote a first flipping motion of the first rotor mass about a first flipping axis parallel to the substrate surface and suppress a second flipping motion of the first rotor mass about a second flipping axis perpendicular to the first flipping axis. In other words, the structural design of the rotor mass and / or the driving coupling structure is proposed to induce different orientation-dependent flipping motions of the first rotor mass, particularly achieving a higher flipping motion of the rotor mass about the first flipping axis than about the second flipping axis. Thus, the degrees of freedom of motion of the first rotor mass can be at least approximately restricted, allowing rotational rate detection performed using the MEMS sensor component to be specifically restricted to a single detection axis. MEMS sensor components offer the following advantages based on the proposed features: a particularly robust sensor structure that exhibits significantly reduced vibration sensitivity compared to structurally comparable multi-axis sensor structures. Therefore, MEMS sensor components are especially suitable for applications in environments with high linearity and rotational acceleration, applications where MEMS sensor components have been impossible to apply or are only possible with the use of special dampers until now.

[0005] According to one embodiment, the MEMS sensor component may further include a second rotor mass and two second driving elements. The second driving elements are connected to the second rotor mass via a second driving coupling structure and configured to subject the second rotor mass to a second rotational oscillation motion about a second rotational axis oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface. Here, the second rotor mass and / or the second driving coupling structure are designed to promote a third flipping motion of the second rotor mass about a third flipping axis oriented parallel to the substrate surface, and to suppress a fourth flipping motion of the second rotor mass about a fourth flipping axis oriented perpendicular to the third flipping axis, when a rotational rate is applied to the MEMS sensor component. By utilizing the two rotor masses (which in particular perform opposite rotational oscillation motions and can correspondingly flip about the first and third flipping axes in opposite directions), the detected flipping motion can be differentially evaluated. Here, external influences act equally on both rotor masses and can be canceled out in signal technology, giving the second rotor mass a favorable compensation function. This significantly improves the measurement accuracy of the MEMS sensor component. The first and second rotor masses can be constructed integrally. The third flipping axis can extend parallel to the first flipping axis.

[0006] The first and second driving elements of the MEMS sensor component can be configured to place the first and second rotor masses in a rotational oscillating motion about a rotation axis oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface. In particular, the first and second driving elements can be configured to place the first and second rotor masses in opposite rotational oscillating motions. For example, the first and second driving elements can be driven with a suitable phase difference. The first and second driving elements can translate parallel to the substrate surface, wherein the opposite translational motion of the first driving element is converted into rotational motion of the first rotor mass via a first driving coupling structure, and the opposite translational motion of the second driving element is converted into rotational motion of the second rotor mass via a second driving coupling structure. Through the rotational oscillating motion, when a rotational rate is applied to the MEMS sensor component, the rotor masses are placed in a detectable flipping motion due to the Coriolis force. The first driving element and / or the second driving element can be attached to the substrate respectively by deflection springs having effective spring stiffnesses that differ in direction. The deflection spring can be configured, for example, specifically shaped, to allow for a high degree of mobility of the attached drive element parallel to the second or fourth flip axis, compared to a lower degree of mobility of the drive element parallel to the first or third flip axis. Furthermore, the deflection spring can be designed to reduce the flipping mobility of the attached drive element. A defined translational movement of the attached drive element can be achieved by the deflection spring according to the aforementioned features, which helps to specifically limit the rotational rate detection performed by means of the MEMS sensor component to a detection axis. The deflection spring can, for example, have a curved shape and be fixed to an anchoring element connected to the substrate.

[0007] For ease of understanding, the rotation axis and the flip axis can be associated with the spatial orientation of a three-dimensional coordinate system below. Therefore, for simplicity, it can be defined that the second and fourth flip axes extend along the x-direction, the first and third flip axes extend along the y-direction, and the first and second rotation axes extend along the z-direction of the coordinate system. The MEMS sensor component can be configured to detect the rotational rate about the x-axis acting on the MEMS sensor component via a first flipping motion of the first rotor mass about the first flip axis extending along the y-direction and a third flipping motion of the second rotor mass about the third flip axis extending along the y-direction; while the rotational rate about the y-axis acting on the MEMS sensor component exhibits negligible influence on the rotor mass due to the structurally suppressed flipping motions about the second and fourth flip axes along the x-direction.

[0008] MEMS sensor components can be, for example, components with mechanical and electronic microstructures fabricated using semiconductor technology, suitable for implementation as a system-on-a-chip (SoC). The MEMS sensor components described within the scope of this application are particularly configured for orientation-dependent detection of rotational rates and for use in rotational rate sensors. The substrate of the MEMS sensor component can be a planar semiconductor technology carrier structure, such as a silicon wafer. The substrate has two substrate surfaces opposite each other, which can be referred to as the front and back surfaces. The front surface of the substrate can form the active side of the substrate, on which the mechanical microstructures of the MEMS sensor component are arranged.

[0009] As previously described, the first rotor mass and / or the first drive coupling structure, and optionally the second rotor mass and / or the second drive coupling structure, are designed to facilitate or inhibit the flipping motion of the rotor mass about a predefined flipping axis. Ideally, it can be assumed that the facilitated flipping motion corresponds to the mechanically permissible flipping motion, while the inhibited flipping motion corresponds to the mechanically blocked flipping motion. In other words, the rotor mass has different flipping motions about different, mutually perpendicular spatial axes, for example, due to its shape and / or due to the specific configuration of the drive coupling structure. Here, the degrees of freedom of the rotor mass are particularly reduced such that only the flipping motion of the first rotor mass about the first flipping axis and optionally the flipping motion of the second rotor mass about the third flipping axis result in the associated measurement signal. Thus, the MEMS sensor component is very robust to linear and rotational secondary accelerations (e.g., vibrations and shocks that may impair the accurate detection of the direction-dependent rotational rate to be detected). Here, motion restriction reduces the number of action paths that may lead to vibration sensitivity of the sensor signal. Furthermore, the modal density of the excitation vibration of the MEMS sensor component can be significantly reduced. The excitable vibrational modes of the MEMS sensor component are located at significantly higher frequencies and are less easily excited. In particular, the proposed MEMS sensor component exhibits significant insensitivity to excitation at a specific frequency that induces a parallel drive mode on the driving element. In this parallel drive mode, the driving element is excited into unidirectional oscillating motion by external oscillation, which may lead to interference signals in the MEMS sensor component.

[0010] To detect a first tumbling motion of the first rotor mass and optionally a third tumbling motion of the second rotor mass, the MEMS sensor component can have a sensor structure, which can be based on, for example, electrostatic or piezoelectric detection principles. Therefore, electrodes associated with the rotor mass can be arranged on the substrate surface, enabling capacitive detection of the tumbling motion of the rotor mass. The electrode arrangement can be adapted to a uniaxial detection principle. The electrodes may have notches below and / or above the rotor suspension of the first and / or second rotor masses.

[0011] Despite achieving high measurement accuracy, the proposed MEMS sensor component has a relatively simple structure with few movable parts, which can significantly reduce the vibration sensitivity and modal density of the MEMS sensor component.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the MEMS sensor component may also have a rotor coupling structure for mechanically coupling a first rotor mass to a second rotor mass. Through this rotor coupling structure, the first and second rotor masses are mechanically coupled to each other, making it possible to compensate for manufacturing-induced differences in the mobility of the rotor masses and to anticipate more accurate measurement results. The rotor coupling structure may have a first rotor spring beam arranged on the first rotor mass and a second rotor spring beam arranged on the second rotor mass, wherein the first and second rotor spring beams are interconnected by rotor springs. Essentially, it is conceivable to design a rotor coupling structure with effective spring stiffnesses that differ in direction, for example, through special shaping or through appropriate length and width ratios of the rotor spring beams and rotor springs, such that when a rotational rate is applied to the MEMS sensor component, it promotes a first tumbling motion of the first rotor mass and a third tumbling motion of the second rotor mass, and suppresses a second tumbling motion of the first rotor mass and a fourth tumbling motion of the second rotor mass. This design of the rotor coupling structure can additionally influence the direction-dependent mobility of the rotor masses. The rotor spring beam can, for example, have a main extension direction along the y-direction, that is, extend substantially perpendicular to the detection rotation axis of the MEMS sensor component and parallel to the first and third flip axes. The first and second rotor spring beams can extend parallel to each other. The first and second rotor spring beams can have the same shape and dimensions. The rotor spring can be an elastically deflectable torsion spring, which extends, for example, in a bridging manner between the first and second rotor spring beams. The rotor spring can, for example, be centrally fixed to the rotor spring beam. The rotor spring can have a main extension direction along the x-direction. Depending on a configuration possibility, the MEMS sensor component can have a structure that is mirror-symmetric about an axis of symmetry extending through the rotor coupling structure parallel to the first and third flip axes. Thus, external influences act equally on both rotor masses and can be canceled out in signal technology, giving the second rotor mass a favorable compensation function. This can significantly improve the measurement accuracy of the MEMS sensor component. Due to the mirror-symmetric structure, the mutually coupled rotor masses are difficult to excite by external linear or rotational acceleration.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the first rotor mass may have a mass distribution through which it has a larger moment of inertia during the first tumbling motion than during the second tumbling motion. Alternatively or additionally, the second rotor mass may have a mass distribution through which it has a larger moment of inertia during the third tumbling motion than during the fourth tumbling motion. Thus, the tumbling motion of the rotor mass can be facilitated or inhibited in a simple and orientation-related manner by designing the rotor mass. The mass distribution of the rotor mass can be influenced, for example, by appropriate shaping of its outer contour or by material removal, for example, in the form of a perforation or a notch in the sense of a through-hole with a larger area of ​​interconnection. Therefore, for example, it can be considered that the first rotor mass and / or the second rotor mass are substantially H-shaped in order to achieve orientation-related mass distributions with a predefined favorable tumbling direction.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the first rotor mass may have a notch arranged closer to the first drive coupling structure than closer to the first rotation axis. Alternatively or additionally, the second rotor mass may have a notch arranged closer to the second drive coupling structure than closer to the second rotation axis. This allows for a simple influence on the mass distribution and the resulting different rotor mass inertial moments with respect to the first and second rotation axes, or with respect to the third and fourth rotation axes. The notch may be positioned such that the first or third rotation axis extends through it, i.e., intersects it. In particular, the corresponding rotation axis may centrally cut the notch, i.e., bisect it. Through the notch, the rotor mass viewed from the rotation axis along the y-direction may be less than the mass viewed along the x-direction. Furthermore, due to its proximity to the drive coupling structure, the notch is spaced away from the second or fourth rotation axis, causing the remaining mass to be arranged closer to the second or fourth rotation axis, and thereby resulting in a smaller inertial moment about the second or fourth rotation axis. The notch may be a through-hole with a closed notch profile. The notch can be located in the edge region of the rotor mass and is limited, for example, by an edge tab on the outer contour of the rotor mass. Viewed along the x-direction, the notch can have a width of at least 10%, particularly at least 20%, of the total width of the rotor mass. Viewed along the y-direction, the notch can have a length of at least 10%, particularly at least 20%, of the total length of the rotor mass. Because the detection of the tumbling motion by means of the sensor structure can be performed in the outer region of the rotor mass other than the notch region, the notch does not cause a loss of relevant sensitivity of the MEMS sensor components.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the first rotor mass may have at least two notches arranged in a mirror-symmetric manner with respect to the second flip axis. Alternatively or additionally, the second rotor mass may have at least two notches arranged in a mirror-symmetric manner with respect to the fourth flip axis. The notches, positioned in a second mirror-symmetric manner, allow for further localized mass reduction and balanced rotational oscillation and flipping behavior of the observed rotor mass. In principle, it is also possible to include more than two notches in the respective rotor mass.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the stop element can extend through a notch in the first rotor mass or the second rotor mass, parallel to a first axis of rotation of the first rotor mass and / or parallel to a second axis of rotation of the second rotor mass. In particular, when there are multiple notches in the observed rotor mass, a stop element can extend through each corresponding notch. Mechanically effective stop elements can advantageously limit the rotational oscillating motion of the observed rotor mass and prevent excessive rotation of the rotor mass under strong mechanical loads on the drive coupling structure and / or rotor coupling structure. Here, the mounting space left through the notch in the MEMS sensor component is advantageously utilized. The stop element can be anchored to the substrate of the MEMS sensor component. If the MEMS sensor component has a cover structure as a cover (e.g., in the form of a cover wafer), the stop element can advantageously extend continuously between the substrate and the cover structure and thereby assume a supporting function for vertically stabilizing the MEMS sensor component.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the first drive coupling structure and / or the second drive coupling structure may have a spring structure having an effective spring stiffness that varies with orientation. Thus, the drive coupling structure can be designed in a simple manner to achieve different reversible motions of the rotor mass with respect to orientation. The spring structure may, for example, have a specific geometry and / or a specific orientation, resulting in a lower spring stiffness in the first spatial direction than in the second spatial direction.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the first drive coupling structure may have a first drive spring beam disposed on the first drive element, which is connected to the first rotor mass via a drive spring. Alternatively or additionally, the second drive coupling structure may have a second drive spring beam disposed on the second drive element, which is connected to the second rotor mass via a drive spring. This provides a spring structure with effective spring stiffness varying in direction, wherein the drive spring beam can act as a reinforcing element to reduce the observed tumble motion of the rotor mass about a second or fourth flip axis, and wherein the drive spring is advantageous compared to the increased tumble motion of the observed rotor mass about a first or third flip axis. Thus, restriction on the tumble motion of the rotor mass can be supported in a desired sense, and the vibration sensitivity of the MEMS sensor component can be further reduced. The drive spring beam may, for example, have a main extension direction along the x-direction, i.e., extending substantially parallel to the detection rotation axis of the MEMS sensor component and perpendicular to the first and third flip axes. The drive spring may, in particular, extend primarily along the y-direction, i.e., parallel to or along the first or third flip axis. The drive spring can be constructed, in particular, as an elastically deflectable torsion spring, which extends, for example, in a bridging manner between the drive spring beam and the rotor mass. The drive spring can be attached to the outer contour of the observed rotor mass, for example, to an edge tab that limits a notch in the rotor mass. Depending on a configuration possibility, viewed along the x-direction, the first or second drive spring beam can be at least as wide as such a notch.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the first rotor mass and the second rotor mass can be arranged relative to each other along a first spatial direction, and the first and third flip axes can extend perpendicular to the first spatial direction and parallel to the substrate surface. Therefore, the first and third flip axes (about which they facilitate, i.e., mechanically allow, the flipping motion of the rotor masses) can extend transversely to the arrangement direction of the two rotor masses. This achieves a compact and robust arrangement of rotor masses, drive coupling structures, and rotor coupling structures with targeted limited mobility and advantageous mechanical coupling of the rotor masses. Viewed along the first spatial direction, the first and second rotor masses can be arranged side-by-side. Furthermore, viewed along the first spatial direction, the first and second drive elements can be arranged side-by-side, respectively. The first spatial direction can correspond to the x-axis of the aforementioned coordinate system.

[0020] According to one embodiment, a first driving element and a first rotor mass can be arranged relative to each other along a second spatial direction, and a second driving element and a second rotor mass can be arranged relative to each other along the second spatial direction, wherein the second spatial direction extends perpendicular to the first spatial direction and parallel to the substrate surface. This achieves a compact and robust arrangement of rotor masses, drive coupling structures, and rotor coupling structures with targeted limited mobility and advantageous mechanical coupling of rotor masses. Viewed along the second spatial direction, the corresponding driving elements and rotor masses can be arranged side-by-side, wherein the first rotor mass is arranged between the first driving elements, and the second rotor mass is arranged between the second driving elements. In other words, the first driving elements are arranged on two opposing sides of the first rotor mass, and the second driving elements are arranged on two opposing sides of the second rotor mass. The second spatial direction can correspond to the y-axis of the aforementioned coordinate system.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the first rotor mass and / or the second rotor mass can have a maximum extension dimension in the second spatial direction, which corresponds to at least 75% of the maximum extension dimension of the same rotor mass in the first spatial direction. Simplified, the observed rotor mass can, for example, have an approximately square basic shape. This can improve the mechanical stability of the rotor mass.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the first rotor mass and / or the second rotor mass can have a maximum extension dimension in the second spatial direction, which corresponds to at most 75% of the maximum extension dimension of the same rotor mass in the first spatial direction. Simplified, the observed rotor mass can, for example, have an approximately rectangular basic shape. This can advantageously influence the inertial torque of the observed rotor mass, thereby promoting a first or third flipping motion while suppressing a second or fourth flipping motion. Simultaneously, using such a shaped rotor mass allows for narrower and therefore more compact implementations of the MEMS sensor components.

[0023] According to one embodiment, a MEMS sensor component can be configured to detect the rotational rate acting on the MEMS sensor component about a detection axis, and the number of detection axes of the MEMS sensor component is structurally limited to exactly one detection axis. This exact one detection axis can correspond to the x-direction of the aforementioned coordinate system. In other words, in the proposed MEMS sensor component, in addition to suppressing flipping motion about the x-axis when a rotational rate about the y-axis is applied, the arrangement of additional sensor elements for detecting the rotational rate about the z-axis, i.e., about the aforementioned rotational axis of the rotor mass, is intentionally omitted to further improve the robustness of the MEMS sensor component. By reducing the movable mass on the MEMS sensor component, vibration sensitivity and modal density can be significantly reduced.

[0024] The present invention also relates to a rotation rate sensor having a MEMS sensor element according to one of the foregoing features and a signal processing unit for applying, receiving, and / or processing signals from the MEMS sensor element. The improved MEMS sensor element provides a rotation rate sensor with a particularly robust sensor structure and reduced vibration sensitivity, which is also suitable for applications in environments with high linearity and rotational acceleration. The signal processing unit can be understood as a control and evaluation device for the rotation rate sensor and can be configured, for example, as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The signal processing unit can be connected, for example, to the electrical conductor rails of the MEMS sensor element via wire bonding.

[0025] Generally, in the context of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, the word “a / a kind” should not be understood as a numeral, but rather as an indefinite article having the literal meaning of “at least one / a kind”. Attached Figure Description

[0026] This invention allows for different implementations and is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is illustrated schematically as follows: Figure 1 : A MEMS sensor component according to the first embodiment with visualized driven motion in a schematic top view; Figure 2 : Based on visually visualized flipping motion Figure 2 MEMS sensor components; Figure 3 : Evidence of visually perturbed motion Figure 1 MEMS sensor components; Figure 4 : A MEMS sensor component according to the second embodiment in a schematic top view; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a rotational rate sensor with MEMS sensor components. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Figures 1 to 3 Schematic diagrams of the MEMS sensor component 1 according to the first embodiment are shown in top views. Here, in Figures 1 to 3 The arrows in the text provide a simplified and intuitive explanation of the driving motion, flipping motion, and disturbance motion on the components of MEMS sensor component 1, which are described below. Figure 4 A MEMS sensor component 1 according to a second embodiment is shown. Figures 1 to 4The three-dimensional spatial orientation is assigned to the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis according to the coordinate system shown in the appended diagram. The MEMS sensor component 1 is configured to detect the rotation rate in relation to the orientation.

[0028] As in Figure 1 As can be seen, the MEMS sensor component 1 includes a substrate 2, such as a silicon wafer, having a substrate surface 3. The substrate surface 3 can be described by a plane unfolded between the x-axis and y-axis. Sensor structures (not shown in detail) of the MEMS sensor component 1 can be arranged on the substrate surface 3, which may include, for example, electrodes for capacitively detecting the deflection of a movable structure of the MEMS sensor component 1.

[0029] According to the illustrated embodiment, the MEMS sensor component 1 has a first rotor mass 4a and a second rotor mass 4b. The first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b are attached to the substrate 2 by a rotor suspension device extending along the z-direction (not shown in detail). Here, the first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b are rotatably movable relative to the substrate surface 3.

[0030] The MEMS sensor component 1 also includes two first driving elements 5a, which are connected to the first rotor mass 4a via a first driving coupling structure 6a. The first driving elements 5a are configured to cause the first rotor mass 4a to move as if... Figure 1 The image visually illustrates a first rotational oscillation motion 7a, which is a first driving motion 19a that is a reverse translation parallel to the substrate surface 3 and oriented about a first rotational axis 8a perpendicular to the substrate surface 3. The MEMS sensor component 1 also has two second driving elements 5b, which are connected to the second rotor mass 4b via a second driving coupling structure 6b. The second driving elements 5b are configured to cause the second rotor mass 4b to move as shown in the image. Figure 1 The image visually illustrates a second rotational oscillation motion 7b, which is placed about a second rotational axis 8b oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface 3 by a second driving motion 19b that is a reverse translation parallel to the substrate surface 3. The second rotational axis 8b extends parallel to the first rotational axis 8a. The first driving element 5a and the second driving element 5b can be driven with a phase difference, such that the first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b can be placed in the reverse rotational oscillation motions 7a and 7b. By the rotational oscillation motions 7a and 7b, for example, when a first rotational rate D1 is applied to the MEMS sensor component 1, the first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b are placed by the Coriolis force. Figure 2 In the visualized and detectable flipping motions K1 and K3, as further explained below. Figure 1As can be seen, the MEMS sensor component 1 also has a rotor coupling structure 9 for mechanically coupling the first rotor mass 4a to the second rotor mass 4b to compensate for deviations in the manufacturing-induced flipping movements K1 and K3 on the rotor masses 4a and 4b. Here, the rotor coupling structure 9 has a first rotor spring beam 13a arranged on the first rotor mass 4a and a second rotor spring beam 13b arranged on the second rotor mass 4b. The first rotor spring beam 13a and the second rotor spring beam 13b are interconnected by a rotor spring 14. The rotor spring beams 13a and 13b can extend primarily along the y-direction, while the rotor spring 14 is oriented along the x-axis.

[0031] exist Figure 2 The diagram illustrates that, according to the illustrated embodiment, the first rotor mass 4a, the second rotor mass 4b, and the first and second drive coupling structures 6a and 6b are structurally designed to promote a first flipping motion K1 of the first rotor mass 4a about a first flipping axis 10a oriented parallel to the substrate surface 3, and to promote a third flipping motion K3 of the second rotor mass 4b about a third flipping axis 10c parallel to the substrate surface 3 and oriented parallel to the first flipping axis 10a, when a first rotational speed D1 about the x-axis is applied to the MEMS sensor component 1. Furthermore, the first rotor mass 4a, the second rotor mass 4b, and the first and second drive coupling structures 6a and 6b are designed to suppress a second flipping motion K2 of the first rotor mass 4a about a second flipping axis 10b oriented perpendicular to the first flipping axis 10a, and a fourth flipping motion K4 of the second rotor mass 4b about a fourth flipping axis 10d oriented perpendicular to the third flipping axis 10c, when a second rotational speed D2 about the y-axis is applied to the MEMS sensor component 1. Therefore, the MEMS sensor component 1 is configured to be particularly robust and exhibits significantly reduced vibration sensitivity, especially in applications with high external linear and rotational accelerations. This significantly reduces the modal density of the excitation vibrations of the MEMS sensor component 1, and furthermore, the excitable vibration modes are located at significantly higher frequencies. Figure 3 For example, it is intuitively shown that a parallel drive mode effective at a specific frequency (which causes parallel disturbance motion 19c on drive elements 5a and 5b due to excitation vibration) does not cause a flipping reaction on the first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b, which is an advantage over known sensor components. In other words, in Figure 3 An exemplary parallel drive mode is illustrated, in which drive elements 5a and 5b deflect in the same direction. This parallel drive mode can be excited by an external linear acceleration. The sensor structure exhibits higher stiffness relative to this oscillation pattern and the corresponding frequency of this mode compared to known sensor components, and it also shows advantages relative to external excitation.

[0032] The rotor masses 4a and 4b are designed accordingly in the aforementioned sense. These rotor masses can, for example, have a mass distribution that results in the observed rotor masses 4a and 4b having larger inertial moments during the first and third flipping movements K1 and K3, and lower inertial moments during the second and fourth flipping movements K2 and K4. Therefore, as in... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, notches 30 can be provided in the corresponding rotor masses 4a and 4b, arranged closer to the corresponding drive coupling structures 6a and 6b, rather than closer to the rotation axes 8a and 8b. This allows for an advantageous influence on the mass distribution of the rotor masses 4a and 4b in a simple structural manner. According to the illustrated embodiment, two notches 30 are arranged in the rotor masses 4a and 4b respectively, and these two notches are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to the second flip axis 10b and the fourth flip axis 10d.

[0033] The drive coupling structures 6a and 6b are designed accordingly in the aforementioned sense. These drive coupling structures can each include a spring structure 32 with different effective spring stiffnesses related to the direction, thereby enabling different direction-related reversible motions of the rotor masses 4a and 4b in a simple manner. Figure 1 As can be seen, the first drive coupling structure 6a and the second drive coupling structure 6b have drive spring beams 11a arranged on the first and second drive elements 5a and 5b. Furthermore, second drive spring beams 11b are respectively arranged on the first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b. The first drive spring beams 11a and the second drive spring beams 11b are interconnected by drive springs 12. Robust coupling between the drive elements 5a and 5b and the rotor masses 4a and 4b is achieved through the drive spring beams 11a and 11b, which can promote different orientation-dependent mobility of the rotor masses 4a and 4b. Figure 1 As shown, the drive spring beams 11a and 11b have a main extension direction along the x direction, while the drive spring 12 extends perpendicularly in the y direction.

[0034] MEMS sensor component 1 is configured to detect the action acting on MEMS sensor component 1, in Figure 2 The rotational rate D1 about the detection axis 18 is shown intuitively. According to the illustrated embodiment, the number of detection axes 18 of the MEMS sensor component 1 is structurally limited to exactly one detection axis 18, in this case, the x-axis. This structural limitation is achieved by restricting the mechanical motion degrees of freedom of the rotor masses 4a and 4b, which can be achieved through the corresponding design of the rotor masses 4a and 4b and the drive coupling structures 6a and 6b. Furthermore, the movable sensor mass connected for detecting the rotational rate about the z-axis is omitted.

[0035] Advantageous compensation can be achieved by utilizing two rotor masses 4a and 4b, because external influences act equally on both rotor masses 4a and 4b and can therefore be canceled out in signal technology within the scope of differential evaluation. The first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b are arranged sequentially along the x-direction as shown. The first flip axis 10a and the third flip axis 10c extend in the y-direction, i.e., perpendicular to the x-direction and parallel to the substrate surface 3. Furthermore, the first drive element 5a and the first rotor mass 4a are arranged sequentially along the y-direction. The second drive element 5b and the second rotor mass 4b are also arranged sequentially along the y-direction. This described arrangement of the drive elements 5a and 5b and the rotor masses 4a and 4b relative to each other achieves a compact and robust arrangement, enabling advantageous mechanical coupling with easily adjustable motion constraints on the rotor masses 4a and 4b. Figure 1 As visually illustrated, the first rotor mass 4a and the second rotor mass 4b each have a maximum extension dimension A2 in the second spatial direction y, which corresponds to at most 75% of the maximum extension dimension A1 of the same rotor mass 4a and 4b in the first spatial direction x. Thus, simplified, the rotor masses 4a and 4b have an approximately rectangular basic shape, and the inertial torque of the rotor masses 4a and 4b is affected in the desired sense as follows: the first tumbling motion K1 and the third tumbling motion K3 are promoted, while the second tumbling motion K2 and the fourth tumbling motion K4 are suppressed.

[0036] exist Figure 1 As can also be seen, the first drive element 5a and the second drive element 5b are respectively attached to the substrate 2 by means of a curved deflection spring 15 having an effective spring stiffness that is different in direction. The deflection spring 15 is fixed to the substrate 2 by means of an anchoring element 15a. The deflection spring 15 is shaped such that there is a high degree of mobility of the attached drive elements 5a, 5b parallel to the second flip axis 10b or the fourth flip axis 10d, and a relatively low degree of mobility of the attached drive elements 5a, 5b parallel to the first flip axis 10a or the third flip axis. Thus, the direction-dependent flipping mobility of the rotor masses 4a, 4b can be further supported.

[0037] from Figure 1 In addition to the driving motions 19a and 19b shown and the resulting rotational oscillation motions 7a and 7b, it can also be seen that the MEMS sensor component 1 has a mirror-symmetric structure about an axis of symmetry 17, which extends through the rotor coupling structure 9 parallel to the first and third flip axes 10a and 10c. This mirror-symmetric structure improves the mutual cancellation of external influences on the rotor masses 4a and 4b and enhances the measurement accuracy of the MEMS sensor component 1.

[0038] Figure 4The MEMS sensor component 1 according to the second embodiment is shown, which is substantially similar to the first embodiment in terms of structure and operation. Further shown here is that a stop element 31 extends through a notch 30 in the rotor masses 4a and 4b, parallel to the first rotation axis 8a of the first rotor mass 4a and parallel to the second rotation axis 8b of the second rotor mass 4b, thereby advantageously limiting the rotational oscillations 7a and 7b of the rotor masses 4a and 4b. Furthermore, unlike the rotor masses 4a and 4b of the MEMS sensor component 1 according to the first embodiment, the rotor masses 4a and 4b in the second embodiment are sized such that they each have a maximum extension dimension A2 in the second spatial direction y, which corresponds to at least 75% of the maximum extension dimension A1 of the same rotor mass 4a and 4b in the first spatial direction x, thereby obtaining a stable configuration of the rotor masses 4a and 4b.

[0039] Figure 5 A rotation rate sensor 20 is visually illustrated in the schematic diagram. This rotation rate sensor has a MEMS sensor component 1 (which, for example, can be based on...) Figures 1 to 4 The embodiment described herein (one of the configurations) includes a signal processing unit 21 for applying, receiving, and / or processing signals from the MEMS sensor component 1. The MEMS sensor component 1 and the signal processing unit 21 are electrically connected to each other via a signal connection 22 (which may be configured as a wire bonding connection, for example). The rotational rate sensor 20 has reduced vibration sensitivity (with reduced modal density) due to the improved MEMS sensor component 1 and is essentially suitable for use in environments with high linearity and rotational acceleration without additional damping components.

Claims

1. A MEMS sensor component (1), comprising: - Substrate (2) having substrate surface (3); - First rotor mass (4a); and - Two first driving elements (5a), the first driving elements are connected to the first rotor mass (4a) via a first driving coupling structure (6a) and are configured to place the first rotor mass (4a) in a first rotational oscillation motion (7a) about a first rotation axis (8a) oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface (3); wherein The first rotor mass (4a) and / or the first drive coupling structure (6a) are designed such that, when a rotational speed (D1, D2) is applied to the MEMS sensor component (1), - Promotes a first flipping motion (K1) of the first rotor mass (4a) about a first flipping axis (10a) oriented parallel to the substrate surface (3), and - Suppress the second flipping motion (K2) of the first rotor mass (4a) about the second flipping axis (10b) oriented perpendicular to the first flipping axis (10a).

2. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to claim 1 further comprises: - Second rotor mass (4b); - Two second drive elements (5b), which are connected to the second rotor mass (4b) via a second drive coupling structure (6b) and configured to place the second rotor mass (4b) in a second rotational oscillation motion (7b) about a second rotation axis (8b) oriented perpendicular to the substrate surface (3); wherein, The second rotor mass (4b) and / or the second drive coupling structure (6b) are designed such that, when a rotational rate (D1, D2) is applied to the MEMS sensor component (1), - Promotes a third flipping motion (K3) of the second rotor mass (4b) about a third flipping axis (10c) oriented parallel to the substrate surface (3), and - Suppress the fourth flipping motion (K4) of the second rotor mass (4b) about the fourth flipping axis (10d) which is oriented perpendicular to the third flipping axis (10c).

3. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to claim 2 further comprises a rotor coupling structure (9) for mechanically coupling the first rotor mass (4a) with the second rotor mass (4b).

4. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The first rotor mass (4a) has a mass distribution through which the first rotor mass (4a) has a greater moment of inertia during the first flipping motion (K1) than during the second flipping motion (K2), and / or the second rotor mass (4b) has a mass distribution through which the second rotor mass (4b) has a greater moment of inertia during the third flipping motion (K3) than during the fourth flipping motion (K4).

5. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to claim 4, wherein The first rotor mass (4a) has a notch (30) arranged closer to the first drive coupling structure (6a) rather than closer to the first rotation axis (8a), and / or, wherein the second rotor mass (4b) has a notch (30) arranged closer to the second drive coupling structure (6b) rather than closer to the second rotation axis (8b).

6. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to claim 5, wherein The first rotor mass (4a) has at least two notches (30) arranged in a mirror symmetric manner with respect to the second flip axis (10b), and / or, wherein the second rotor mass (4b) has at least two notches (30) arranged in a mirror symmetric manner with respect to the fourth flip axis (10d).

7. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein The stop element (31) extends through a notch (30) in the first rotor mass (4a) or the second rotor mass (4b) parallel to the first axis of rotation (8a) of the first rotor mass (4a) and / or parallel to the second axis of rotation (8b) of the second rotor mass (4b).

8. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The first drive coupling structure (6a) and / or the second drive coupling structure (6b) have a spring structure (32) having an effective spring stiffness that varies with direction.

9. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The first drive coupling structure (6a) has a first drive spring beam (11a) arranged on the first drive element (5a), the first drive spring beam being connected to the first rotor mass (4a) via a drive spring (12), and / or, wherein the second drive coupling structure (6b) has a second drive spring beam (11b) arranged on the second drive element (5b), the second drive spring beam being connected to the second rotor mass (4b) via a drive spring (12).

10. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein, The first rotor mass (4a) and the second rotor mass (4b) are arranged relative to each other along a first spatial direction (x), and wherein the first flip axis and the third flip axis (10a, 10c) extend perpendicular to the first spatial direction (x) and parallel to the substrate surface (3).

11. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein The first driving element (5a) and the first rotor mass (4a) are arranged to each other along a second spatial direction (y), and the second driving element (5b) and the second rotor mass (4b) are arranged to each other along the second spatial direction (y), wherein the second spatial direction (y) is perpendicular to the first spatial direction (x) and extends parallel to the substrate surface (3).

12. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The first rotor mass (4a) and / or the second rotor mass (4b) have a maximum extension dimension (A2) in the second spatial direction (y), which corresponds to at least 75% of the maximum extension dimension (A1) of the same rotor mass (4a, 4b) in the first spatial direction (x).

13. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The first rotor mass (4a) and / or the second rotor mass (4b) have a maximum extension dimension (A2) in the second spatial direction (y), which corresponds to at most 75% of the maximum extension dimension (A1) of the same rotor mass (4a, 4b) in the first spatial direction (x).

14. The MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The MEMS sensor component (1) is configured to detect the rotational speed (D1, D2) of the MEMS sensor component (1) about the detection axis (18), and wherein the number of detection axes (18) of the MEMS sensor component (1) is structurally limited to exactly one detection axis (18).

15. A rotation rate sensor (20) having a MEMS sensor component (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and having a signal processing unit (21) for applying, receiving and / or processing signals of the MEMS sensor component (1).

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