A Novel Method for Reducing the Sensitivity Deviation of MEMS Microphones by Programming

Walser, S.; Siegel, C.; Winter, Matthias; Rocca, Gino; Leidl, Anton; Feiertag, G.

doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.611

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…There are various noise sources present in a MEMS microphone [19]. While a higher bias voltage is usually utilized to increase the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) [20], an acoustic noise source located close to a microphone will be picked up as a signal. If we assume an acoustic background noise with constant power, this "signal" can be used to track the state of capture even without using an input signal noticeable by humans.…”

Section: ) Impact On Noise Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Use of Acoustic Methods for the Detection of Electrostatic Capture of Diaphragm in Capacitive MEMS Microphones

Hantos

Simon

Desmulliez

2022

IEEE Trans. Compon., Packag. Manufact. Technol.

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Most mobile phones today have capacitive microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones that use either single or dual diaphragm. Methods to detect failures easily and non-invasively have become of critical importance for microphones mobile phone manufacturers as a basis for built-in self-test (BIST) and self-repair (BISR) strategies. In that regard, a four-layer framework is presented that includes lumped element modelling (LEM), failure mode simulation, failure mode discrimination and recovery. The frequency response of the microphone is taken as the main output to analyse. To experimentally validate this framework, this article provides a failure mode induction method based on bias voltage sweeping and four new techniques, based solely on acoustic measurements to discriminate the states of electrostatic capture for single diaphragm capacitive MEMS microphones. These include a) analysis of an acoustic signature that is unique to electrostatic capture based on cosine similarity analysis, b) -3 dB point measurement, C) +3 dB point measurement, and d) cluster analysis. Measurement of pull-in voltage and snapback voltage ranges is further demonstrated based on sensitivity measurements in laboratory conditions and response magnitude and noise power measurements in non-laboratory conditions. Up to 100% success rate in detecting electrostatic capture of diaphragm is reported for this type of device.

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Section: ) Impact On Noise Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Use of Acoustic Methods for the Detection of Electrostatic Capture of Diaphragm in Capacitive MEMS Microphones

Hantos

Simon

Desmulliez

2022

IEEE Trans. Compon., Packag. Manufact. Technol.

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“…The investigations are based on a programmable condenser MEMS microphone [8]. Figure 1 shows a schematic cross section of the microphone package. )…”

Section: Programmable Mems Microphonementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This allows compensating the process tolerances by trimming bias and gain after completing the microphone manufacturing process. An example of a programmed sensitivity distribution of a MEMS microphone production lot is given in [8]. There, a production lot with a measured sensitivity span of 4 dB was programmed to a narrow sensitivity span of 0.6 dB.…”

Section: Programmable Mems Microphonementioning

confidence: 99%

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4.3.3 - Application-specific programming of MEMS microphones

Walser¹,

Loibl²,

Feiertag³

et al. 2016

Tagungsband

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The paper presents a novel method to trim MEMS microphones towards specific applications. This method allows tuning the acoustical parameters of programmable MEMS microphones after fabrication. Depending on the customer , either a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) or a low total harmonic distortion (THD) at high sound pressure levels (SPL) can be achieved. A high SNR of up to 66 dB(A) was reached by programming high bias voltages. Low bias voltages and a correction by gain factors allow the use at high sound pressure levels. Within a MEMS microphone fabrication batch the standard deviation of sensitivity was reduced by a factor of 5. A comparison of the two programmed settings shows that with the high SNR setting the SNR is better by 1 dB. The THD @ 127 dB SPL has the value of 1.0 % for the high SPL setting in comparison to 2.2 % for the high SNR setting.

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“…MEMS microphones are widely employed in mobile phones [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] and wearable devices [1,2,5,6,12,13] to capture high-quality audio for calls and recordings, whereas in the automotive field [10,[14][15][16], they are used for hands-free calling, voice control, or even pedestrian detection [17]. They are also exploited for medical applications [13,14,18] such as smart stethoscopes [19,20], blood pressure monitoring, or to detect abnormal heartbeats [21]; in addition, these devices are a full-fledged part of the Internet of Things (IoT) world [2,5,18,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Trends in Structures and Interfaces of MEMS Transducers for Audio Applications: A Review

et al. 2023

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In recent years, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology has had an impressive impact in the field of acoustic transducers, allowing the development of smart, low-cost, and compact audio systems that are employed in a wide variety of highly topical applications (consumer devices, medical equipment, automotive systems, and many more). This review, besides analyzing the main integrated sound transduction principles typically exploited, surveys the current State-of-the-Art scenario, presenting the recent performance advances and trends of MEMS microphones and speakers. In addition, the interface Integrated Circuits (ICs) needed to properly read the sensed signals or, on the other hand, to drive the actuation structures are addressed with the aim of offering a complete overview of the currently adopted solutions.

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A Novel Method for Reducing the Sensitivity Deviation of MEMS Microphones by Programming

Cited by 7 publications

References 5 publications

On the Use of Acoustic Methods for the Detection of Electrostatic Capture of Diaphragm in Capacitive MEMS Microphones

On the Use of Acoustic Methods for the Detection of Electrostatic Capture of Diaphragm in Capacitive MEMS Microphones

4.3.3 - Application-specific programming of MEMS microphones

Recent Trends in Structures and Interfaces of MEMS Transducers for Audio Applications: A Review

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