Patent ID: 8644528

Claim:
A microfabricated microphone comprising: a back-plate electrode comprising an electrically conductive material disposed on a back-plate layer of dielectric material; a substrate of an insulating material, an aperture formed in the substrate to provide an acoustic port, the acoustic port having a sidewall extending from an open distal end to a proximal end where the back-plate electrode resides covering and spaced apart from the acoustic port; and a center-supported diaphragm supported relative to the back-plate electrode by a center support extending from the back-plate electrode in a direction toward the acoustic port, the center-support configured to support the diaphragm located near the proximal end of the acoustic port with a gap between a perimeter of the diaphragm and the acoustic port, thereby allowing residual stress to relax through radial expansion or contraction of the diaphragm while maintaining radial and angular symmetry of the diaphragm.