MEMS microphones in commercial applications and beyond: Technology trends in the next decade

Abstract

Since the initial introduction in the early 2000s, MEMS-based microphones have grown to become the preferred choice in a large range of commercial applications. This growth has been driven by continuous improvements in transduction performance, product consistency, and device ruggedness to meet ever more stringent application requirements. The emergence and rapid development/growth of small wearable devices, has given rise to a new set of possibilities and requirements for the acoustic transducer. In these applications power consumption, size, and ingress immunity are of major importance. While existing MEMS microphone topologies are being adjusted and adopted for this purpose, there are also opportunities for different structures and new operational schemes to further enhance product performance. In the area of acoustic performance, MEMS microphone technology has reached some fundamental barriers, particularly on size, at which entirely new approaches will be necessary to change the performance/size equation. In this presentation, a review will be given of MEMS microphone technology and how it got us to where we are today. In addition, projections will be shared on where the technology might go in the future where fully sealed, high performance, micro-scale devices are imaginable.