sensiBel Licenses Sofics On-Chip ESD Protection to Boost Reliability of SBM100B Optical MEMS Microphones
By HiFi Editorial23 February 2026
Key Highlights
sensiBel licensed Sofics’ silicon-proven on-chip ESD protection to strengthen reliability of its SBM100B optical MEMS microphones ahead of volume production.
SBM100B combines optical MEMS IP, a silicon photonics circuit, and a digital ASIC built in standard CMOS, setting new benchmarks for MEMS microphone audio performance.
The microphone achieves 80dB SNR, 146dB SPL acoustic overload point, and 132dB dynamic range, exceeding conventional MEMS microphone capabilities.
What stands out in this licensing move is not the headline performance of the optical MEMS concept, but the less glamorous problem it quietly solves. Optical microphones blur the clean boundaries of a classic MEMS signal chain: laser drivers, photodiodes, and custom digital interfaces sit alongside standard CMOS logic, each with different tolerance to electrical stress. From sensiBel’s perspective, Sofics’ value lies in its willingness to step outside foundry-default GPIO recipes and design ESD structures that coexist with sensitive photonic elements. That matters because aggressive protection networks can inject parasitic capacitance or leakage, subtly eroding linearity and phase behavior—issues audiophiles tend to notice long before outright failure.
