As is known in the art, vibrational gyroscopes are used to measure the rate of a rotation in inertial space. Such sensors generally include a member which is vibrated at a resonant frequency. In response to an input rotational rate induced about an input axis, a vibrational output torque or motion is produced by Coriolis forces.
Vibrational gyroscopes are used for sensing rotational rate in various applications, such as in navigational guidance systems on airplanes, ships, and cars. In such applications, and particularly in cars, the size and cost of the gyroscope can be critical. Moreover, often three gyroscopes arranged mutually orthogonal to one another are used to detect rotation rates about three mutually orthogonal axes and may be combined with three accelerometers. Micromechanical gyroscopes comprised of semiconductor materials are desirable for such applications due to their small size and efficient fabrication techniques.