October 1, 2008: STMicroelectronics has introduced its first automotive-qualified three-axis MEMS accelerometer. The AIS326DQ accelerometer is qualified to AEC-Q100 for automotive applications, and built using ST’s 200mm-wafer MEMS fabrication processes to deliver MEMS technology at competitive prices for system integrators. The device is the first of a range of products spearheading ST’s strategy to bring economies of scale from its MEMS business in consumer to new automotive MEMS applications.

The AIS326DQ meets automotive-industry requirements for non-safety applications, such as vehicle alarms, tracking and monitoring, black-box systems, seat controls, navigation support, and antenna positioning. Its high flexibility and ruggedness also benefit industrial applications such as vibration monitoring in heavy-duty equipment, or shipping-container management and security. Key performance advantages include user-selectable full-scale range of ±2g or ±6g in all three axes, wide temperature range from -40°C to +105°C, and 10,000g shock survivability.

Further capabilities include a data-ready signal to simplify system synchronization, as well as user-configurable inertial wake-up, direction-detection and freefall-interrupt modes. The integrated IC interface is factory calibrated for sensitivity and zero-g level, allowing use without further calibration. An embedded self-test routine is also implemented, which can be activated at any time to verify correct functionality.