According to xMEMS, the Sycamore is also extraordinarily thin, with just 1mm in thickness, which is perfect for surface applications such as glasses. At one-seventh the size and one-third the thickness of conventional dynamic-drivers, Sycamore will allow product designers the freedom to innovate thinner and lighter mobile device form factors.
Equally impressive is that the new xMEMS Sycamore is a full-range, nearfield microspeaker, which meets the requirements for open wireless stereo (OWS) earbuds, smart glasses, and other compact, mobile electronics. This is possible because the new MEMS driver is based on the company's "sound from ultrasound" platform which creates full-frequency sound from ultrasonic waves. This is the same technology that xMEMS successfully introduced in 2023, in the Cypress MEMS driver, targeting ANC implementations on TWS earbuds with a single driver. So far, this platform didn't find much traction from manufacturers who fear the unknown effects of long-term ultrasound exposure in earbuds (see here and here). Apparently, xMEMS believes that using the ultrasound technology in a nearfield topology will be lesser of a risk.
"Unlike the first-of-its-kind xMEMS Cypress microspeaker, which delivers full-range audio for occluded, in-ear, active noise-cancelling (ANC) earbuds, Sycamore is designed to perform in open-air listening devices. At just 1-millimeter thin, Sycamore removes a critical constraint in design of thin mobile electronics by replacing 3-mm thick legacy dynamic driver speakers, while also requiring less back volume area," xMEMS states.
With its first-order low frequency roll-off, this new MEMS driver can match mid-bass performance of dynamic drivers while offering as much as 11dB headroom in sub-bass extension. Sycamore also pushes the performance envelope on high-frequency sound — by as much as 15dB above 5KHz over legacy drivers — making it an ideal nearfield microspeaker tweeter alternative for laptops, automotive, and portable Bluetooth speakers.
"The applications for Sycamore µSpeakers are limited only by designers’ imagination," says Mike Housholder, xMEMS’ VP of Marketing and Business Development. "In smartphones, Sycamore offers a higher-quality earpiece speaker for clearer calls and greater privacy. In cars, Sycamore’s size, weight and performance makes it a micro-sized tweeter for headrests, headliner and pillar placements. And of course, not only does Sycamore’s audio performance deliver a full sound experience for smart watches and glasses, but its size allows designers to create sleeker, fashion-forward products that consumers will love."
Sycamore measures just 8.41 x 9 x 1.13 mm and weighs only 150 milligrams. It is one-seventh the size of a conventional dynamic-driver package and one-third the thickness, which is critical when integrating into ever-thinner electronics like smart watches and glasses. As an all-silicon, solid-state MEMS speaker, Sycamore is IP58 rated to be rugged and sweat-resistant for active users.
The new xMEMS Sycamore is based on the same fabrication process as the xMEMS Cypress in-ear and the xMEMS XMC-2400 micro-cooling fan on a chip that the company just announced. With one manufacturing platform, xMEMS can quickly deliver multiple different xMEMS micro products to support rapid innovation. xMEMS will demonstrate the Sycamore at CES 2025, and expects to start sampling the new driver in Q1, 2025, with mass production beginning October 2025.
www.xmems.com
