• Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices have become indispensable in inertial and vibration sensing, owing to their exceptionally small form factor, high performance, and low power consumption. In this talk, I will present recent advances in the use of MEMS inertial sensors for wearable medical applications, with a focus on precision seismocardiography (SCG), mechanomyography (MMG), and the detection of respiratory and vascular sounds. I will also discuss strain plethysmography (SPG), a novel approach for measuring arterial strain variations induced by pulsatile blood flow.

  • MEMS-based IMUs are sensing units that provide motion measurement in rotational and linear direction, and occasionally other sensing modalities of pressure or temperature are added to it. In past, IMU sensing units were designed using small discrete sensors with limited axes which were then combined to form integrated units in small form factor modules. As MEMS silicon manufacturing processes matured, IMUs have been designed into a single silicon with performance tradeoffs. 

  • This presentation reviews QST’s high-performance inertial MEMS sensor technology platform and its evolution from early development through high-volume production. It highlights a decade of innovation culminating in a single-die 6-axis MEMS IMU
    architecture that integrates 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer functions using a unique three-wafer Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) structure and dual-cavity design. The presentation describes key device-level innovations, including high-Q gyroscope
    operation, compact single proof-mass 3-axis gyro architecture, stress-optimized accelerometer design, and packaging approaches that enable both strong performance and manufacturability.