Abstract
This paper presents the characterization of a piezoresistive silicon microphone. The microphone was designed for aeroacoustic measurements where small size, high dynamic range, large frequency bandwidth, and low power requirements are desired. It consists of four dielectrically-isolated, single-crystal silicon piezoresistors mounted on the top surface of a circular, tensile silicon nitride diaphragm. Multiple devices were characterized in terms of linearity, frequency response, drift, noise, and power. The sensors exhibit an average sensitivity of 0.6 μ/Pa·V, a flat frequency response, minimal drift, and consume 15 mW of power when operated at 3 V. They show a linear response up to 160 dB SPL and a 52 dB SPL noise floor (1 Hz bin centered at 1 kHz).
