Fraunhofer Spin-Off Develops Silicon Micro-Loudspeaker

The Fraunhofer IPMS spin-off company Arioso Systems GmbH has completed its first round of financing for its sound transducer principle for miniaturized headphones. Known as hearables, the micro-loudspeaker technology made from 100% silicon is based on the patented Nanoscopic Electrostatic Drive (NED) principle from Fraunhofer IPMS. Instead of a conventional membrane, the Arioso sound transducer membrane is installed inside the body of a silicon chip as a series of bending strips. New electrostatic actuators called Nano E-Drives are integrated inside the 20-µm-wide bending strips, energized by vibrations from the audio signal voltage. Being integrated into the silicon chip allows the components to take up less space, leading to...