Abstract: A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) motor includes a substrate, a backplate, and a diaphragm. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface. The second surface has a slot that extends at least partially into the substrate. A port extends through the substrate. The backplate is mounted to the first surface of the substrate, and the backplate covers at least a portion of the port. The diaphragm is between the backplate and the substrate. The diaphragm moves with respect to the backplate in response to acoustic energy that passes through the port.

Abstract: A multi-core audio processor includes a plurality of audio processing cores having differing capabilities, a plurality of buffers, wherein each buffer is configured to store a plurality of samples associated with a corresponding audio stream, a deadline scheduler including a plurality of deadline registers configured to store a plurality of deadline values for each audio stream, and a plurality of audio processing core interfaces coupling the plurality of audio processing cores to the deadline scheduler, each of the audio processing core interfaces associated with a corresponding audio processing core. The plurality of deadline values indicate an order of processing of samples stored in the plurality of buffers by the plurality of processing cores.

Abstract: The problem of contaminants entering a microphone assembly through a pressure equalization aperture is mitigated by moving the pressure equalization aperture from a location near the acoustic port to a location on the cover of the microphone assembly. This is achieved by fabricating an aperture reduction structure using a separate dedicated die, with an aperture of diameter ˜25 microns or less disposed on the aperture reduction structure, and then coupling the aperture reduction structure to the cover of the microphone. The relatively smaller aperture on the cover after the coupling of the aperture reduction structure is used for pressure equalization of the back volume of the microphone with a pressure outside of the microphone assembly.

Abstract: A micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphone includes a base including a port extending through the base, a shim assembly, an ingress protection element, and a MEMS device. The shim assembly is disposed on the base and over the port. The shim assembly has a plurality of walls that form a hollow interior cavity. The shim assembly also has a top surface and a bottom surface coupled to the base. The ingress protection element extends over and is coupled to the top of the shim assembly to enclose the cavity of the shim assembly. The shim assembly elevates the ingress protection element above the base and is effective to prevent the passage of contaminants there through. The MEMS device includes a diaphragm and a back plate and is disposed over the ingress protection element.

Abstract: A microphone includes a housing including a substrate and a cover disposed over the substrate, the housing including a sound port between the interior of the housing and the exterior of the housing. The microphone also includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer and an integrated circuit (IC) positioned within the housing and mounted on a common surface of the housing, where the MEMS transducer is electrically connected to the IC, and the IC is electrically connected to a conductor on the substrate. The microphone further includes an encapsulating material covering the IC, and an encapsulating material confinement structure disposed between the MEMS transducer and the IC, where the encapsulating material confinement structure at least partially confines the encapsulating material around the IC.

Abstract: A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) transducer includes a transducer substrate including an opening; a back plate including a plurality of protrusions oriented substantially perpendicular to the back plate; and a diaphragm between the transducer substrate and the back plate. The diaphragm includes a lead and a plurality of spring members. The lead is structured to suspend the diaphragm over the transducer substrate. The spring members are structured to separate the diaphragm from the transducer substrate and the back plate in the absence of a bias voltage.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates in a first aspect to a method of detecting leakage current from a DC bias voltage circuit of an integrated circuit for a capacitive microelectro mechanical systems (MEMS) transducer. A test signal with a predetermined frequency and level is superimposed on a first DC bias voltage generated by the DC bias voltage circuit.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a microphone assembly including a multibit analog-to-digital converter configured to generate N-bit samples representative of a microphone signal. The microphone assembly also includes a first digital-to-digital converter configured to generate a corresponding M-bit digital signal based on N-bit digital samples, wherein N and M are positive integers and N>M. The microphone assembly may include a data interface configured to repeatedly receive samples of the M-bit digital signal and write bits of the M-bit digital signal to a data frame.

Abstract: A sensor device includes a substrate having a front surface and an opposing back surface. The back surface defines an indented region having an indented surface. The substrate defines a bottom port extending between the front surface and the indented surface. The sensor further includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer mounted on the front surface of the substrate over the bottom port. The sensor also includes a filtering material disposed on the indented surface and covering the bottom port. The filtering material provides resistance to ingression of solid particles or liquids into the sensor device. The filtering material is configured to provide high acoustic permittivity and have low impact on a signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor device.

Abstract: A microphone assembly includes an acoustic transducer having a back plate and a diaphragm, such that a surface of the back plate includes a plurality of holes. At least a portion of the plurality of holes are arranged in a non-uniform pattern. The non-uniform pattern includes holes of varying sizes spaced apart from neighboring holes by varying distances. The microphone assembly further includes an audio signal electrical circuit configured to receive an acoustic signal from the acoustic transducer.

Abstract: A transducer assembly comprises an acoustic transducer comprising a transducer substrate having a first aperture defined at a first location of the transducer substrate, an acoustic transducer diaphragm disposed on the transducer substrate over the first aperture, and an acoustic transducer back plate disposed on the transducer substrate axially spaced apart from the acoustic transducer diaphragm over the first aperture. The transducer assembly also includes a vibration transducer comprising the transducer substrate having a second aperture defined at a second location thereof, a vibration transducer diaphragm disposed on the transducer substrate over the second aperture, a vibration transducer back plate disposed on the transducer substrate axially spaced apart from the vibration transducer back plate over the second aperture, and an anchor coupled to one of the vibration transducer diaphragm or the vibration transducer back plate, the anchor disposed in the second aperture and suspended freely therewithin.

Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to hearing devices configurable between open fit and closed fit configurations at different times through actuation of one or more acoustic valves located in one or more corresponding sound passages of the hearing device. The one or more acoustic valves of the hearing device are adaptively controlled based on context detected by one or more sensors. The context may be, but is not limited to, a mode of operation of the hearing devices which may include, for example, an audio content playback mode and a voice communication mode. The actuatable valves may be actuatable in situ without having to remove the hearing device from the user's ear thereby enabling the user to experience the benefit of a closed fit or an open fit depending on the user's desire or other context.

Abstract: A microphone assembly includes a transducer element and a processing circuit. The processing circuit includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to receive, sample and quantize a microphone signal generated by the transducer element to generate a corresponding digital microphone signal. The processing circuit includes a feedback path including a digital loop filter configured to receive and filter the digital microphone signal to provide a first digital feedback signal and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to convert the first digital feedback signal into a corresponding analog feedback signal. The processing circuit additionally includes a summing node at the transducer output configured to combine the microphone signal and the analog feedback signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to a microphone assembly. The microphone assembly has an acoustic activity detection mode of operation when the electrical circuit is clocked using an internal clock signal generator in the absence of an external clock signal at a host interface, and an electrical circuit of the microphone assembly is configured to provide an interrupt signal to the host interface upon detection of acoustic activity by the electrical circuit. The electrical circuit is configured to control the operating mode of the microphone assembly based on a frequency of the external clock signal in response to providing the interrupt signal and is configured to provide data representing the electrical signal to the host interface using the external clock signal received at the host interface.

Abstract: A microphone assembly includes an acoustic transducer and an audio signal electrical circuit configured to receive an output signal from the acoustic transducer. The output signal includes an audio signal component and a tracking signal component. The audio signal component is representative of an acoustic signal detected by the acoustic transducer and the tracking signal component is based on an input tracking signal applied to the acoustic transducer. The audio signal electrical circuit includes an analog to digital converter configured to convert the output signal into a digital signal, an extraction circuit configured to separate the tracking signal component and the audio signal component from the digital signal, an envelope estimation circuit configured to estimate a tracking signal envelope from the tracking signal component, and a signal correction circuit configured to reduce distortion in the audio signal component using the tracking signal envelope.

Abstract: A micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphone includes a base including a port extending through the base, a shim assembly, an ingress protection element, and a MEMS device. The shim assembly is disposed on the base and over the port. The shim assembly has a plurality of walls that form a hollow interior cavity. The shim assembly also has a top surface and a bottom surface coupled to the base. The ingress protection element extends over and is coupled to the top of the shim assembly to enclose the cavity of the shim assembly. The shim assembly elevates the ingress protection element above the base and is effective to prevent the passage of contaminants there through. The MEMS device includes a diaphragm and a back plate and is disposed over the ingress protection element.

Abstract: A method for echo cancellation based on microphone signal correlation is disclosed.

Abstract: A method comprises driving a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer of a microphone assembly using a test electrostatic signal. The microphone assembly comprises a substrate, a cover, a port providing an acoustic path from the MEMS transducer to an external atmosphere, and a non-porous elastomeric membrane disposed across the port and structured to seal the microphone assembly. A test electrostatic response of the MEMS transducer is measured, and a difference between the test electrostatic response and a calibration electrostatic response for a corresponding boundary condition of the membrane is determined. A calibration parameter is determined using stored calibration data based on the difference. The calibration data correlates calibration electrostatic responses with calibration acoustic responses of the MEMS transducer across a range of boundary conditions of the membrane. An acoustic response of the MEMS transducer is adjusted using the calibration parameter.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for manufacturing a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device. The MEMS device includes a substrate, a cap, a microelectromechanical component, and a tag. The cap is coupled to the substrate such that the substrate and the cap cooperatively define an interior cavity. One of the substrate or the cap defines a port. The microelectromechanical component is disposed within the interior cavity. The tag is coupled to the substrate and an exterior surface of the cap to secure the cap to the substrate.

Abstract: A digital microphone device includes circuitry that can reduce the risk of noise caused due to an idle tone frequency component in a digital signal output by the digital microphone device. In stereo mode and other applications where interference occurs between two or more such microphones, each microphone device includes a digital output having a corresponding idle tone frequency, one of which is offset to shift noise components outside of a desired frequency range.