Silicon Designs, Inc

Silicon Designs is a leading developer of rugged high-accuracy MEMS accelerometers for UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and unmanned systems, with a wide range of options to suit commercial, industrial and military use cases.

For over 35 years, we have supplied branches of the U.S. government and Department of Defense as well as a range of clients around the world. We have received over two dozen SBIR awards, and have also been inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame for adapting our space-grade accelerometer technology to a variety of industrial applications.

Inertial-Grade Surface Mount Accelerometers

Our inertial-grade surface mount MEMS DC accelerometers provide the characteristics required for higher-end and tactical-grade UAV and robotics applications, while retaining the same level of ruggedness and reliability as our industrial-grade systems. Featuring excellent long-term stability and insensitivity to changes in temperature, each miniature hermetically-sealed unit incorporates a MEMS capacitive sense element and a custom IC with integrated sense amplifier and differential output stage.

Inertial-Grade & Reference Accelerometer Modules

Our Q-Modules convert our inertial-grade surface mount MEMS accelerometers into low-SWaP (size, weight and power) fixtures with convenient industry-standard form factors that can be used as drop-in replacements for legacy quartz accelerometers. The modules provide direct pin and form factor compatibility as well as industrial-grade ruggedness and a wide operating temperature range.

We have also developed a precision reference calibration module that is ideal for accurately determining the sensitivity and frequency response characteristics of unknown MEMS DC accelerometers. Featuring a 4-wire pigtail for compatibility with almost any DAQ system, the module is highly suited to performance specification comparisons, zero-to-medium frequency instrumentation applications, and equipment calibration.

Industrial-Grade Surface Mount Accelerometers

Our rugged and cost-effective industrial-grade surface mount MEMS DC accelerometers are ideal for UAV and robotics OEMs, serving a wide variety of applications including drone flight control and platform stabilization, as well as UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles) and UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles). The high-reliability accelerometers incorporate a MEMS capacitive sense element and a custom IC with integrated sense amplifier and differential output stage, and are available in a variety of g-range options.

Industrial and Test & Measurement Accelerometer Modules

We have developed a range of single- and three-axis accelerometer modules based on our industrial-grade surface mount MEMS accelerometers. Offering g-range options from ±2g to ±400g, they are ideally suited to drone and robotics R&D, test and measurement applications. All modules are self-contained, featuring internal amplifiers and power regulation, and undergo thorough and robust factory testing and calibration before shipping.