Keynote: Benefits of Using COMSOL^® for Audio Product Development

In this keynote talk from COMSOL Day: MEMS, Michael Ricci of xMEMS discusses his team's use of the COMSOL Multiphysics^® software as part of their development process. Ricci sets the stage with an analogy comparing generational technology shifts in video versus audio: whereas video has undergone a dramatic hardware shift over the years, audio has been stuck in the inductive coil speaker stage for many decades. According to Ricci, audio is now undergoing a generational technology shift through the development of MEMS transducers to both capture sound with MEMS microphones and play it back through MEMS speakers, which can render sound in the time domain unlike traditional speakers.

Next, Ricci briefly talks about traditional spring-mass transduction, conventional speaker drivers, and the need to reinvent the inductive coil speaker. This leads to a discussion on how xMEMS is using silicon crystal pulling for semiconductor fabrication and the xMEMS piezo-MEMS wafer. Ricci then explores the differences between piezo-MEMS and conventional speakers and highlights a use case for developing a piezo-MEMS array for a desktop speaker application. He shares COMSOL Multiphysics^® simulations showing the free-air dispersion characteristics of the piezo-MEMS array and explains how achieving correlated results between these models and physical products saves time and money, lowers risks, and establishes confidence. At the end of the presentation, he highlights another key advantage of using COMSOL Multiphysics^®: the collaboration opportunities it creates among stakeholders, including those who are not themselves users of simulation software but benefit from the results.

Michael Ricci joined xMEMS in 2020 as senior director of electroacoustic engineering. In this role, he has contributed to the development and launch of piezo-MEMS µspeakers, built xHQ electroacoustic test facilities, trained the FAE team, and furthered the adoption of piezo-MEMS transducers at technical conferences and events.