A surface-micromachining-based inertial micro-switch with compliant cantilever beam as movable electrode for enduring high shock and prolonging contact time

•The designed cantilever beam attached to the proof mass can endure a larger shock acceleration (∼1000g order of magnitude) compared to those traditional designs (∼100g order of magnitude).•Effect of the pulse width on the threshold acceleration, the response time and the contact time is investigated.•A constraint sleeve structure is introduced to lower the off-axis sensitivity.