A new mechanically-latching micromachined accelerometer is designed in this thesis based on the large deflection of a microcantilever beam. This surface micromachined device moves in the plane of the substrate surface. This device is surface micromachined with no backside etching needed. The interaction of the friction tether and the dimensions of the cantilever beam have been modeled and calculated. The design acceleration sensitivity range is from 100G to 1000G. The photomask set has been designed by using the Mentor Graphics system. The dimension of individual accelerometers ranges from 100 to 1000 micrometers in length to tens of micrometers in width. A special prototype mask containing 8 latched microaccelerometers has been designed with 3 levels and an overall dimension of 5*5 mm. Fabrication techniques for this accelerometer are described. This proposed cantilever beam is to be fabricated by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. A test station for creating a controlled acceleration has been designed and constructed. The test acceleration can be created in the range from 0 to 200G
