Internship at Modeling and Simulation Department

The recently established Modeling and Simulation Department at Sonion has a young and rapidly growing team with the goal to model and design innovative products for the hearing aid and pro-audio industry, such as miniaturized loudspeakers and other transducers used also in many modern consumer electronics products like smart phones, ear buds, tablets.  In case of hearing aids, transducers are the main active components, and their behavior is crucial for the hearing aid performance. Therefore, a good dynamic model able to predict the behavior of the transducer under different conditions is required in order to test new designs, optimize the sound quality and reduce the product size.

Project #1 – Development of a fully coupled FEA-based transducer model

The goals of the project are:

• Implementation of efficient computational models coupling electromagnetics, solid mechanics and acoustics via COMSOL Multiphysics software. The focus will be on speeding up the simulations, while preserving the accuracy of the FEM models.
• Modeling complex physical phenomena including nonlinearities in the magnetic and/or solid mechanic domains, in frequency and time domains, with validation of the predictions by measurements. Further, the investigation will include a parameter sensitivity analysis for different physical features like thermo-viscous boundary layers, magnetic hysteresis and saturations.

Project #2 – Development of a MEMS microphone lumped element model

The goals of the project are to study the behavior of MEMS microphone lumped element models (LEM) with respect to the relevant parameters. Parameter sensitivity studies of the microphone LEM in OrCAD PSpice will be performed aiming at understanding the behavior of the model from Physics perspective. In particular, the microphone performance will be investigating by measuring and predicting:

• Magnitude and phase of the electrical output signal as a reaction to acoustic signal, acoustic sensitivity
• Magnitude and phase of the electrical output signal as a reaction to vibration signal, vibration sensitivity
• Equivalent input noise (EIN) of the microphone with open inlet without the presence of external signals

Project #3 – Nonlinear material models for transducer membranes 

The goal of this project is to investigate the nonlinear behavior of the sealing layer in miniaturized loudspeakers membranes and its effects on the transducer frequency response. The sealing layer, polymer-based foil with thickness ranging from 10 to 30 um, is placed on the transducer membrane to acoustically seal the front and back chamber while being mechanically transparent. A fully coupled FEA-based model will be developed by using COMSOL software.

The investigation will include the following aspects:

• Sealing foil implementation by using 3D solid domains or 2D shell boundary settings
• Electro-mechano-acoustical coupling with and without thermo-viscous damping
• Parameter mesh sensitivity to properly predict the frequency response of the model
• Nonlinear material response of the sealing layer as a function of membrane displacement

Sonion

Sonion improves the quality of life of people using hearing products. We are committed to be the preferred partner in the development and manufacturing of transducers and electromechanical solutions designed for (professional) use in hearing instruments, in-ear earphones and hearables. Size matters and we constantly challenge the laws of physics for making small and reliable products. Our outstanding competences within customer focused innovation and development and our lengthy experience in efficient manufacturing make us successful and this will be used to expand into new business areas.

Sonion has facilities in Denmark, the Netherlands, Vietnam, the Philippines, Poland, USA and China, wherefrom the (more than 5300) Sonion employees work together across all the locations.

Your profile

• At least a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and/or physics;
• Knowledge of engineering processes/principles;
• Ability to write technical documentation;
• Capable of thinking on a system level as well as on component level;
• Familiarity with one (ore more) of the following topics: acoustics, finite element methods, electromagnetism, computational mechanics;
• Easy learner (to use new FEM-based softwares (COMSOL) or SPICE simulators (OrCAD, LTSpice);
• Basic knowledge of Mathworks Matlab;
• Result driven;
• Hands-on;
• Eager-to-learn;
• Pro-actively searching for solutions;
• Not afraid to think ”outside of the box”;
• Interact effectively with a wide variety of people with different backgrounds.

Our offer

Of course, we offer an internship allowance. More importantly, we offer you a work environment that gives you the opportunity to steadily further develop. In this project, you will get a lot of responsibility and chances to use your knowledge in the field. You and your supervisor will regularly reflect on your work. Sonion is an international and inclusive organization where it is easy to connect with colleagues. Where are you waiting for, apply now!

Further information and application

You are welcome to contact Nicky Janmaat-Piepers, HR Business Partner at 020-6068184 for further information about the position. Please send your application in English to JobsAtSonionNL@sonion.com.

As part of our recruitment process, we will process your personal data, as set out in our Recruitment Privacy Notice. An assessment and reference check will be part of the procedure.