xMEMS Labs demonstrates updated high-resolution piezo emitters

xMEMS Labs demonstrates updated high-resolution piezo emitters

xMEMS Labs from Santa Clara, California, USA, in the heart of Silicon Valley, held a demonstration of their new products - microdrivers with piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). They use the piezoelectric effect, the deformation of a piezoelectric when voltage is applied to it. The material chosen for this is, as expected, silicon.

Montara xMEMS introduced its first piezo emitter back in mid-2020. This time it was replaced by a variant called Montara Plus, which is positioned as the world's highest output power MEMS microdriver, capable of delivering up to 120 dB SPL at 200 Hz. It is tipped to play the role of a broadband speaker in high-end miniature headphones (MEMS emitters with a thickness of 1 mm are placed on the end of a pencil).

The smallest of them is Cowell, whose mass production starts these days. This is an almost perfect source of high frequencies. And finally, Skyline DynamicVent, a DSP-driven piezoelectric MEMS turnkey solution that, according to xMEMS, “combines the benefits of both open- and closed-back headphones and hearing aids.” Skyline features an advanced version of active noise reduction with an improved transparency mode.

MEMS technology is in many ways more convenient than the production of the same speakers, with the need to wind miniature coils and glue parts with high precision. Here it is more and more reminiscent of hot stamping of semiconductor components. But there are also problems. For example, an amplifier working with MEMS must reach 30 V peak-to-peak. In addition, a constant bias voltage is required. This is solvable, but the complication of the scheme is obvious.

However, UK-based Singularity Audio has already launched ONI, the first in-ear with xMEMS technology, and its compatriots iFi audio, are planning to launch Diablo X portable DACs/headphones using MEMS before the end of this year.