On the mechanical behaviour of thin perforated plates and their application in silicon condenser microphones

In this paper an alternaUve approach to the modelling of plates with a large number of holes is pres;nted. By means of plate theoPy, it is shown that perforated plates can be modelled by conventional orthouopic plates with modified elastic preponies. The modification of the elastic constants is derived by equalizing the strain-energy oftbe perforated and the ortholropic plate. The model oblained is then compared with previous methods and applied in the electromcchanical simulation of a silicon miclomachinod microphone structure. The microphone structures are simulated numerically, using an algorithm based on finite differences. Keywordl: Silicon microphones; Perforaled pletes; Finite differences; Eleclmmechanical simulation