Review of MEMS Speakers for Audio Applications
Nils Wittek, Anton Melnikov, Bert Kaiser, Andr\'e Zimmermann
TL;DR
This review surveys MEMS speakers, highlighting their actuation principles, performance trends, and future challenges, emphasizing piezoelectric MEMS as the leading technology for miniaturized, efficient audio applications.
Contribution
It provides a comprehensive classification and performance comparison of MEMS speakers from 1990 to 2025, identifying key research challenges and future directions.
Findings
Piezoelectric MEMS dominate in performance and miniaturization.
Performance has improved significantly from 1990 to 2025.
Innovative approaches could enable wideband MEMS speaker adoption.
Abstract
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) speakers are compact, scalable alternatives to traditional voice coil speakers, promising improved sound quality through precise semiconductor manufacturing. This review provides an overview of the research landscape, including ultrasound pulse-based and thermoacoustic sound generation, classifying MEMS speakers by actuation principle: electrodynamic, piezoelectric, and electrostatic. A comparative analysis of performance indicators from 1990-2025 highlights the dominance of piezoelectric MEMS with direct air displacement, focusing on miniaturization and efficiency. The review outlines upcoming research challenges and identifies potential candidates for achieving full-spectrum audio performance. A focus on innovative approaches could lead to wideband adoption of MEMS-only speakers.
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Taxonomy
TopicsMicrofluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies · Ultrasound Imaging and Elastography · Advanced MEMS and NEMS Technologies