| This dissertation has two distinct goals. The first is to fabricate a MEMS Lorentz force navigation magnetometer using the same techniques as gyroscopes and accelerometers allowing for construction of a single chip inertial measurement unit. The second is to determine if parametric amplification has commercial benefits or if it is just an academic curiosity.;Previous Lorentz force magnetometers have used non-standard fabrication steps, consume too much power or lack the required sensitivity to be competitive. To increase the sensitivity and the competitiveness of Lorentz force magnetometers, parametric amplification is performed.;Three Lorentz force magnetometers were studied. The first was a Z-axis parametrically amplified magnetometer with a 34 nT/✓Hz, 0.3 degrees/✓Hz resolution operated in a vacuum. The second was a Z-axis parametrically amplified magnetometer with a resolution of 87 nT/✓Hz, 0.78 degrees/✓Hz operated at 1 atm. And the third is a 3-axis magnetometer with a resolution of 2.6 nT/✓Hz, 0.02 degrees/✓Hz operated in a vacuum. Parametric amplification was shown to increase the magnetic flux sensitivity up to 82.5-fold and improve the system wide signal to noise ratio of the sensor up to 10-fold. |
