TY - GEN A1 - Schenk, Harald A1 - Melnikov, Anton A1 - Stolz, Michael A1 - Wall, Franziska A1 - Kaiser, Bert A1 - Mrosk, Andreas A1 - Schuffenhauer, David A1 - Monsalve, Jorge Mario A1 - Langa, Sergiu A1 - Schenk, Hermann A1 - Ehrig, Lutz A1 - Conrad, Holger A1 - Ahnert, Maik T1 - Nonlinearity of balanced MEMS loudspeakers: optical experiments and numerical modeling using time-harmonic signals T2 - 27th International Congress on Sound and Vibration, Annual Congress of International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration (IIAV) N2 - A recently introduced novel actuator class, called the nano electrostatic drive (NED), uses the elec-trostatic actuation to generate large deflections of elastic structures. The NED principle was recently successfully applied to create an all silicon loudspeaker based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Such MEMS audio transducers cover the full frequency range required for high fidelity audio applications. High fidelity audio reproduction also demands minimizing harmonic distortions substantially below 1 %. A major advance in this direction is combining the NED principle with a push-pull driving scheme in a balanced design (BNED), eliminating even harmonics. The practical implementation of a BNED design is however demanding. The nature of the Coulomb force, the impact of stress stiffening and the large deformations required for generating high sound pressures, to name a few aspects, potentially contribute to the harmonic distortion and therefore need advanced experimental methods and simulation models to allow for an apt design. In this paper, we report first results of an experimental technique, combining an optical microscope with a high-speed camera, capable of analyzing the local details of the actuator movement at frame rates of 50,000 frames per second. Dynamic features, such as the excitation of harmonics and intermodulations become clearly visible. These experimental results are then used to scrutinize and refine our multi physics FEM simulations. Y1 - 2021 UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354465569_Nonlinearity_of_balanced_MEMS_loudspeakers_optical_experiments_and_numerical_modeling_using_time-harmonic_signals ER -