Design Considerations For Silicon Resonators

Abstract

In order to optimize the membrane resonators for the application of proximity sensing, not only its dimensions and material properties can be modified but also the complete system of resonator and housing. To do this, a basic understanding of the system behavior is indispensable. The following Chapter summarizes basic design considerations for the proximity sensor microsystem. The first Section gives a short overview of the basic behavior of a resonating membrane microstructure. The second Section explains how the membrane vibrations are excited and how these vibrations are simultaneously detected. The most important aspect for an acoustic system, the sound generation, is discussed in the last Section. To obtain an efficient sound radiation, we consider not only the transducer element itself but also the housing geometry, which can improve or disturb the radiation efficiency.