Towards a Biomimetic MEMS Microphone Featuring Tunable Performance

Inspired by the complex transduction mechanism in mammalian cochlea, a MEMS piezoelectric microphone featuring tunable performance is proposed. By using direct and inverse piezoelectric effects simultaneously, along with parameter modulation principles, a cantilever array based MEMS microphone with tunable sensitivity, frequency, and quality factor has been developed. Via a DC tuning process (within a ±2 V range), an improvement of 122.68% in output magnitude and 0.29% in effective bandwidth are achieved experimentally. Through an AC tuning process (at a specific frequency to facilitate parametric pumping), a quality factor has been modulated by 68.33% experimentally. In contrast to traditional microphones based on cantilever arrays, this design provides the ability to adjust sensor performance, thereby establishing a robust foundation for diverse and functional acoustic sensing applications.