Micro-electromechanical devices having an improved flexible layer enable the use of material having a wider range of elastic modulus. The MEM devices include a substantially non-pliable layer and a substantially flexible layer both of which include electrodes that when energized will create electrostatic forces that attracts the flexible layer to the non-pliable layer. The flexible layer has perforations or apertures cut into the flexible layer of a MEMs device to alter operational properties such as electrostatic sensitivity, resonance frequency, rate of change of sensitivity above the resonance frequency, oscillating mass, panel stiffness and others parameters.