MEMS Microphones as Ultrasonic Transducers: Nonlinear Electrostatic Actuation and a Parametric Array Prototype

Xiaoyu Niu; Zihuan Liu; Ehsan Vatankhah; Yuqi Meng; Neal A. Hall

MEMS Microphones as Ultrasonic Transducers: Nonlinear Electrostatic Actuation and a Parametric Array Prototype

Audio and Speech Processing 2026-08-03 v1 Applied Physics

Authors: Xiaoyu Niu , Zihuan Liu , Ehsan Vatankhah , Yuqi Meng , Neal A. Hall

Abstract

This paper investigates commercial-style capacitive MEMS microphone dies as air-coupled ultrasonic transmitters under nonlinear pull-in and snap-back actuation and demonstrates a compact parametric-array prototype. A single die produces large diaphragm displacement and measurable ultrasonic pressure in air. A 28-die array driven at 83 and 93 kHz generates a directional component at the 10 kHz difference frequency. Measurements are compared with analytical radiation theory and finite-element modeling, and the effects of aperture, fill factor, device uniformity, and receiver nonlinearity are discussed.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2608.02203,
  title  = {MEMS Microphones as Ultrasonic Transducers: Nonlinear Electrostatic Actuation and a Parametric Array Prototype},
  author = {Xiaoyu Niu and Zihuan Liu and Ehsan Vatankhah and Yuqi Meng and Neal A. Hall},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.02203},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

14 pages, 9 figures. Expanded article based on work presented at the 183rd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. This version adds a 28-die parametric-array prototype, analytical and finite-element modeling, and extended discussion. An earlier meeting abstract covering part of this work appeared in J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 152, A50-A51 (2022), DOI: 10.1121/10.0015506