MEMS optical microphone based on light phase modulation

Acoustic sensing through optical transduction represents a promising alternative to the conventional capacitive sensing used in MEMS microphones, especially when aiming at ultra-low noise (i.e. high DR) applications. This paper reports the design and the modeling of the sensing elements of a MEMS optical microphone. The basic transduction mechanism is presented and the main design parameters and challenges are explained and analyzed with advanced modeling techniques.