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Published on: August 21, 2018
Prototype Optical Bionic Microphone with a Dual-Channel Mach-Zehnder Interferometric Transducer
Xin Liu1,2, Chen Cai1, Kangning Ji1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
This study introduces a novel optical bionic microphone utilizing a dual-channel Mach-Zehnder interferometric (MZI) transducer and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) silicon diaphragm, inspired by the fly Ormia Ochracea. This innovative design demonstrates strong temperature robustness and superior performance compared to existing Fabry-Perot interferometric microphones.
Area of Science:
- Bionics and Bio-inspired Engineering
- Optical Sensors and Transducers
- Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
Background:
- Mimicking natural auditory systems can lead to advanced acoustic sensors.
- Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI) offer high sensitivity for displacement detection.
- Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology enables miniaturized and robust mechanical structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and fabricate a novel optical bionic microphone prototype.
- To utilize a dual-channel MZI transducer with a MEMS silicon diaphragm.
- To investigate the performance and characteristics of the bionic microphone.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a MEMS silicon diaphragm mimicking the Ormia Ochracea fly's eardrum structure.
- Integration of the MEMS diaphragm with a dual-channel MZI transducer for vibrational displacement detection.
- Characterization of the microphone's resonance frequencies, temperature robustness, and directional sensitivity.
Main Results:
- The prototype microphone exhibited strong temperature robustness due to its coplanar diaphragm design.
- Consistent responses were observed between the two channels of the MZI transducer.
- Identified rocking and bending resonance frequencies at 482 Hz and 1911 Hz, respectively.
- Observed an "8"-shaped directional dependence in pressure sensitivity at lower frequencies.
Conclusions:
- The developed dual-channel MZI transducer-based bionic microphone demonstrates significant advantages over Fabry-Perot interferometric transducer-based designs.
- The bio-inspired MEMS diaphragm design contributes to enhanced microphone performance and robustness.
- This work presents a promising advancement in optical acoustic sensing technology.
