When Dr. Richard Waters started working at SPAWAR in 1999, he was already familiar with micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers. MEMS accelerometers measure acceleration, (movement) in navigational vehicles such as helicopters and airplanes and can be used to measure vibration, velocity and other types of movement. He also knew they had a problem: they were way too expensive, sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars.
From his work as a scientist and his academic studies, he was able to envision an accelerometer based on fabry-perot interferometer technology which could offer equal or greater performance at a lower cost.
A fabry-perot interferometer filters specific wave lengths of light and the incorporation of this technology into an accelerometer is a highly unusual and a non-obvious design. But Waters proposed turning the optical filter into an accelerometer by combining the fabry-perot and the MEMS technologies. This meant that the device could be built using the proven microelectronic processing techniques of the semiconductor integrated circuit industry, which lowered costs.
By 2001, he had built several working devices that could demonstrate his concept. As Waters had theorized, it was possible to deliver a working, accurate MEMS accelerometer using the fabry-perot interferometer technology.
While proving the technology was a surprise, the bigger surprise was that the performance was far better than anyone had anticipated. "In fact, it was a device that achieved world-record sensitivity right out of the box," said Brad Chisum, formerly of SPAWAR.
Chisum met Waters in March of 2003 while both were working at SPAWAR with Waters working on the device design team and Chisum was an engineer working on the project's manufacturing team. Also in 2003, Waters had given a presentation to a panel of experts selected by the Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) team located at San Diego State University (SDSU) in order to secure commercialization assistance.
At that time, Waters was granted a market study that was coordinated and funded by the CCAT program administered out of California State University, San Bernardino. It would not be his last contact with CCAT.
In the summer of 2005, Chisum and Waters started to consider turning the micro-electrical mechanical systems ultra sensitive accelerometer (MEMSUSA) technology into a private business that could provide the commercialization efforts needed to turn the technology into a working, stand-alone unit, then into the hands of government engineers and military contractors. Chisum left SPAWAR in March 2006 to start Omega Sensors, Inc. The company officially debuted with Chisum as its president on January 1, 2006.
Shortly after the formation of Omega Sensors, Chisum applied for the funding required to complete the next prototype from CCAT. CCAT San Diego provided Omega Sensors a $75,000 prototype development, test and evaluation (PDT&E) award and a second market study in the spring of 2006.
CCAT's assistance and the prototype funded by CCAT has had a "huge impact" according to Chisum. "We are more prepared to show potential customers how we can tailor a design for individual applications - so it gives us credibility," said Chisum. "In addition, just working with the CCAT organization gives us a big piece of credibility. It's also helped us to build a complete prototype that can be used outside the lab."
Because the technology has been determined to be extremely sensitive and stable, it has a greater ability for more accuracy than other accelerometers and could be used for guided missiles, unmanned ground, aerial and underwater vehicles, and for monitoring the health of helicopters and submarines. To monitor the health of helicopters and submarines, the accelerometer is attached to the vehicle and the vibration is measured. "If that vibration is beyond a certain threshold, then they know that it is due for maintenance," said Chisum. "Previously, they just had to wait for it to break or change things on a time schedule." The Omega Sensor accelerometer is expected to be on the market within three years.
For more information, please contact:
Tom Sheffer, CCAT Program Director
SDSU Research Foundation
E-mail: tsheffer@foundation.sdsu.edu
Phone: (619) 594-4135 / Fax: (619) 594-5774