| This Ph.D. dissertation presents the development of a microgyroscope based on nuclear magnetic resonance. The feasibility of achieving a highly sensitive gyroscope by utilizing the precession of atoms as a reference frame is explored. Contrary to micromachined vibratory gyroscopes, the sensor does not contain any moving mechanical parts and is therefore suitable for environments where external vibrations or high G-loads may be present. A noise and performance model is developed and it is estimated that navigation-grade performance can be achieved with this type of gyroscope.;A microfabricated implementation of the atomic gyroscope is proposed. The sensor utilizes a vapor cell with angled nonmetallic reflectors, positioned above a microfabricated optical bench. At the center of the optical bench is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser that emits a diverging light beam, which is reflected by the cell walls and detected by four photodiodes. Several other components are developed collaboratively, including a set of 3-axis coils and magnetic shields that surround the vapor cell and micro optical bench. A miniature prototype is fabricated and assembled. The microsensor is shown to operate as an atomic magnetometer with a sensitivity of 100 pT/Hz . Gyroscopic operation is demonstrated with a table-top version of the device in a collaborative effort.;Also developed in this work are spherical alkali vapor cells, which are preferred in many high-performance atomic instruments but not achievable with conventional micromachining techniques. This is accomplished by a wafer-level micro glass blowing process, in which thousands of spherical microstructures are shaped simultaneously. The feasibility of the process is demonstrated and spherical rubidium vapor cells are characterized. In addition to fabricating cells for atomic microsensors, the ability to blow glass on a wafer level may enable several other capabilities including mass production of microscopic lenses, plasma light sources, and complex microfluidic networks. |
