US Patent 12069432 Optical microphone substrate

An optical microphone assembly including a substrate, an interferometric arrangement, a light source, and at least one photo detector. The interferometric arrangement includes a membrane and at least one diffractive optical element spaced from the membrane. The diffractive optical element(s) include a plurality of lines formed in or disposed on a surface of the substrate and arranged in a first pattern. The substrate includes one or more holes extending fully therethrough, the hole(s) arranged in a second pattern that is different from the first pattern. The light source is arranged to provide light to the interferometric arrangement such that first and second portions of the light propagate along respective, different first and second optical paths via the interferometric arrangement. An optical path difference between the first and second optical paths depends on a distance between the membrane and the diffractive optical element(s). The hole(s) are positioned such that at least one of the first and second optical paths at least partly overlaps with the hole(s). The photo detector(s) are arranged to detect at least part of an interference pattern generated by said first and second portions of light dependent on the optical path difference.