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Integrated Silicon Sensors

On the other hand, there are arguments in favor of the use of commercially available silicon acceleration sensors, which could be deployed economically in much larger numbers, forming a really dense grid of strong motion sensors all over the Bay Area.

A modern silicon sensor´s intrinsic noise level, one of the most critical parameters, comes down to less than 0,01 %g (ptp) among higher quality models. This figure would be sufficient for the detection of any seismic activity more than ten times lower in amplitude than the limit of human perception.

Another numerical comparison refers to the basic requirements for emergency management. According to the MMI scale, notable damage to civilian structures in California is not expected unless the acceleration exceeds a level of 10% g (ptp), this figure being 1000 times higher than the sensor´s capability to discriminate a real seismic signal from intrinsic noise.

Two different types of silicon acceleration sensors

There is another interesting feature unique to integrated silicon sensors. Only a station employing integrated silicon sensor technology can be designed to operate with a total power consumption of some 10mW. This provides a new dimension of flexibility, especially in creating fully autonomous seismic stations. To find out more about the RED Systems Initiative‘s pioneering efforts, see Welcome to the future: an invisible station.