Active Linearization for
USound MEMS Speakers

The core goal when developing any micro-speaker is to achieve a high SPL while keeping the THD minimal, if not inaudible. This is not different in the novel MEMS speaker technology.

If a system is time-invariant and fully characterized, signal processing can be used to correct for most of its imperfections. The challenges lie within the right characterization, the definition of proper algorithms, and considering potential unwanted side-effects.

The predictable and highly precise performance of MEMS loudspeakers enables more reliable and accurate tuning with digital signal processing. This whitepaper showcases USound’s Active Linearization Algorithm (ALA). This signal processing chain can be implemented to linearize USound MEMS speakers’ acoustical output and lessen the THD while leaving the SPL unaffected. The presented approach significantly reduces the THD over the audio frequency range to less than ¼ of the original THD.