Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Federica Barbieri

Germano Nicollini

Sergio Pernici

Andrea Barbieri

Edoardo Marino

Sebastiano Conti

Silvia Adorno

Alberto Danioni

A MEMS acoustic transducer has: a detection structure, which generates an electrical detection quantity as a function of a detected acoustic signal; and an electronic interface circuit, which is operatively coupled to the detection structure and generates an electrical output quantity as a function of the electrical detection quantity. The detection structure has a first micromechanical structure of a capacitive type and a second micromechanical structure of a capacitive type, each including a membrane that faces and is capacitively coupled to a rigid electrode and defines a respective first detection capacitor and second detection capacitor; the electronic interface circuit defines an electrical connection in series of the first detection capacitor and second detection capacitor between a biasing line and a reference line, and further has a first single-output amplifier and a second single-output amplifier, which are coupled to a respective one of the first detection capacitor and the second detection capacitor and have a respective first output terminal and second output terminal, between which the electrical output quantity is present.

Differential-type MEMS acoustic transducer

A MEMS acoustic transducer device has a capacitive microelectromechanical sensing structure and a biasing circuit. The biasing circuit includes a voltage-boosting circuit that supplies a boosted voltage on an output terminal, and a high-impedance insulating circuit element set between the output terminal and a terminal of the sensing structure, which defines a first high-impedance node associated with the insulating circuit element. The biasing circuit has: a pre-charge stage that generates a first pre-charge voltage on a first output thereof, as a function of, and distinct from, the boosted voltage; and a first switch element set between the first output and the first high-impedance node. The first switch element is operable for selectively connecting the first high-impedance node to the first output, during a phase of start-up of the biasing circuit, for biasing the first high-impedance node to the first pre-charge voltage.

Biasing circuit for a MEMS acoustic transducer with reduced start-up time

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Milan, Italy

Federica Barbieri