Optimized capacitive MEMS microphone for photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) applications

The design of a miniature capacitive microphone is discussed with specific application to photoacoustic instrumentation. It is demonstrated that a microphone design optimized for use in PAS can provide significant improvements in performance, with positive implications on the overall system performance. Furthermore, it is shown that MEMS-based microphone technology allows for important improvements in microphone vibration sensitivity, size, cost and ruggedness with direct application to portable PAS systems.