Seismic microsensors roll into production
Geophones are ultra-sensitive sensors that detect vibrations of less than a millionth of the earth’s gravitational acceleration. They are integrated into seismic data acquisition systems used in land-based oil and gas exploration. In collecting the seismic data, an array of geophones is deployed over the ground being explored in order to gather measurements from a wide range of points. Acoustic waves are sent through the earth’s surface from vibrating trucks. The geophones measure the reflection of the waves in the different geologic layers of the ground and transmit the readings to a computer, which uses the data to draw a subsurface geological survey map indicating the location and size of oil and gas reserves.
The MEMS-based geophone produced by Tronic’s is a device that is created by silicon micromachining and is protected by ceramic packaging. The mobile microstructures that comprise the heart of the sensor are encapsulated in a very high vacuum environment to reduce noise and attain the required performance levels.
Tronic’s began with prototypes that were the result of several years of joint research by Sercel and CEA Leti. This complete body of expertise was then transferred to Tronic’s for fabrication.
The MEMS-based geophones weigh 1gram and measure 0.5cm3 against 76g and 17cm3 for a traditional device. Three of the new MEMS-based geophones can be integrated along three orthogonal axes in a very small space.
