MEMS sensor compensation for off-axis movement

A method for operating a microelectromechanical (MEMS) device, comprising:

• applying one or more first potentials to a plurality of movable electrodes of a MEMS layer;
• applying one or more second potentials to a plurality of fixed electrodes, wherein each of the plurality of fixed electrodes is located adjacent to at least one of the plurality of movable electrodes in at least a portion of the MEMS layer, wherein the movable electrodes move within the MEMS layer relative to the plurality of fixed electrodes in response to a first force in a first direction to generate a sense signal, and wherein the movable electrodes move outside of the MEMS layer relative to a substrate plane facing a lower plane of the MEMS layer in response to a second force in a second direction;
• applying one or more third potentials to a plurality of auxiliary electrodes located on a substrate layer;
• compensating for a second movement due to the second force based on an auxiliary signal from the auxiliary electrodes;
• and
• generating an output signal representative of the first force based on the sense signal and the compensation.