Finite-element analysis of silicon condenser microphones with corrugated diaphragms

In this present study, the numerical simulation of a silicon condenser microphone is conducted in order to optimize its overall performance. The geometrically nonlinear finite-element method has been adopted to analyze the mechanical sensitivity of silicon condenser microphones. Since the out-of-plane stiffness of a diaphragm can be significantly affected by the state of in-plane residual stresses, the stress stiffening is considered in this analysis. The numerical results show that the structural stiffness and the mechanical sensitivity of the diaphragm are remarkably influenced by the design parameters of microphones and its initial stresses. The optimum values of design parameters for the corrugated diaphragm are determined. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.