Design Considerations for a Digital Input MEMS Speaker Audio Amplifier with Energy Recovery

Markus Hänsler, Mario Auer

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference paperpeer-review

Abstract

The advances in MEMS technology offer now the possibility to manufacture loudspeakers, which need special drivers to achieve optimum performance. Driving capacitive loudspeakers (transducers) introduces a number of interesting challenges, which are addressed in this work.
A digital amplifier, comparable to a class-D amplifier for electrodynamic loudspeakers is presented. The amplifier has a digital input and therefore also includes the A/D-conversion required for producing an analog output. In order to achieve a high efficiency the A/D-conversion is combined with a buck-boost converter and uses energy recovery to increase the efficiency. Using charge transfer efficient strategies for the design of such an amplifier will be given. The results are valid for capacitive loads in general and therefore useful for a wide range of problems, like MEMS drivers or switching control of power transistors.
This article describes fundamental advantages of MEMS speaker based audio systems and the most important parameters for the required audio amplifier. A newly developed concept based on a non-inverting bidirectional buck boost converter will be used to derive the parameters as well as to explain the most important design criteria for an audio amplifier development for capacitive loads.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2019 15th Conference on Ph.D Research in Microelectronics and Electronics (PRIME)
Pages297-300
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-7281-3549-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Event15th Conference on Ph.D. Research in Microelectronics and Electronics: PRIME 2019 - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
Duration: 15 Jul 201918 Jul 2019

Conference

Conference15th Conference on Ph.D. Research in Microelectronics and Electronics
Abbreviated titlePRIME
Country/TerritorySwitzerland
CityLausanne
Period15/07/1918/07/19

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