Microphones arrays are increasingly being used like cameras to sense the acoustical environment and locate activities that generate noise, from wind turbine noise to incoming gunfire. The technology is limited by the cost and dynamic range of conventional microphones. MEMs technology allows microphone capsules to be mass-produced on silicon wafers and the resulting products are widely used in consumer products such as mobile phones, but lack the accuracy and dynamic range required for this application, where every microphone in the array must be closely matched, in phase as well as amplitude of response. This project will examine the feasibility of developing microphones that overcome these limitations using concepts developed at the University of Southampton.

In this project you would undertake detailed multiphysics numerical modelling and optimisation of candidate geometries and configurations for the device, and interrogate the models to explore their characteristics and limitations. The most promising designs would then be prototyped in silicon and extensively tested to determine the optimal design. This research programme will provide quantitative answers to the following questions:

• What is the best configuration for a next-generation microphone?

• What range of amplitudes can they a) withstand and b) measure accurately over?

• How closely can multiple devices be matched?

• How cheaply can they be produced in large quantities?

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Matthew Wright, Acoustics research group, Email: mcmw<στο>isvr.soton.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 2153.