MEMS Ultrasonic Transducers

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "A:Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 9726

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Intelligent Engineering, Nanjing University, Suzhou 215163, China
Interests: micro high-frequency transducer; micromachined piezocomposite; ultrasound equipment development; biomedical ultrasound imaging and therapy and wearable sensors
Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: PMUT; intelligent materials; micro-nano technology; bionic technology and MEMS chips
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Instrument and Electronics, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China
Interests: CMUT; micro-accelerometer; underwater imaging technology and oxide TFT image sensor

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Guest Editor
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
Interests: ultrasound transducer; PMUT; CMUT; ultrasonic system and acoustic microscope

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ultrasonic transducers are widely used in medical imaging, industrial non-destructive testing, ultrasonic microscopes, ultrasonic radars, underwater ultrasound, ultrasonic measurement, and other fields. Due to the disadvantages of traditional ultrasonic transducers based on bulk piezoelectric materials, such as large size, difficult processing, low bandwidth, high frequency, and high cost for array probes, their application in many fields is limited. In response to the above urgent needs, MEMS technology has injected new impetus into the development and application of ultrasonic transducers and realized a high-performance miniature ultrasonic transducer array with low power consumption, miniaturization, and integrated integration while reducing the cost of mass production. MEMS ultrasonic transducers are expected to push the application of ultrasound technology to a new level, realizing its application in emerging fields such as smartphones, automotive electronics, smart homes, autonomous driving, robotics, and medical devices, including ultrasound fingerprint recognition sensors, human–computer interaction, ultrasound imaging devices for home diagnosis, and ultrasound wearable devices.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  1. Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUT).
  2. Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUT).
  3. Micromachined ultrasonic transducers.
  4. Thin-film transducers.
  5. MEMS vector hydrophones.
  6. MEMS pressure sensors.
  7. MEMS transducer structure design and simulation.
  8. Micromachined 1-3 piezocomposite.
  9. Applications of MEMS transducers.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Xiaohua Jian
Dr. Jiadong Li
Dr. Changde He
Dr. Zhuochen Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • PMUT
  • CMUT
  • miniature ultrasound transducers
  • thin-film transducer
  • hydrophone
  • ultrasound imaging
  • ultrasound testing
  • wearable ultrasound

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 14457 KiB  
Article
ScAlN PMUTs Based on Flexurally Suspended Membrane for Long-Range Detection
by Shutao Yao, Wenling Shang, Guifeng Ta, Jinyan Tao, Haojie Liu, Xiangyong Zhao, Jianhe Liu, Bin Miao and Jiadong Li
Micromachines 2024, 15(11), 1377; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15111377 - 14 Nov 2024
Viewed by 788
Abstract
Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) have been widely applied in distance sensing applications. However, the rapid movement of miniature robots in complex environments necessitates higher ranging capabilities from sensors, making the enhancement of PMUT sensing distance critically important. In this paper, a scandium-doped [...] Read more.
Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) have been widely applied in distance sensing applications. However, the rapid movement of miniature robots in complex environments necessitates higher ranging capabilities from sensors, making the enhancement of PMUT sensing distance critically important. In this paper, a scandium-doped aluminum nitride (ScAlN) PMUT based on a flexurally suspended membrane is proposed. Unlike the traditional fully clamped design, the PMUT incorporates a partially clamped membrane, thereby extending the vibration displacement and enhancing the output sound pressure. Experimental results demonstrate that at a resonant frequency of 78 kHz, a single PMUT generates a sound pressure level (SPL) of 112.2 dB at a distance of 10 mm and achieves a high receiving sensitivity of 12.3 mV/Pa. Distance testing reveals that a single PMUT equipped with a horn can achieve a record-breaking distance sensing range of 11.2 m when used alongside a device capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals. This achievement is significant for miniaturized and integrated applications that utilize ultrasound for long-range target detection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS Ultrasonic Transducers)
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16 pages, 8186 KiB  
Article
On the Dynamics of a Novel Liquid-Coupled Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer Designed to Have a Reduced Resonant Frequency and Enhanced Ultrasonic Reception Capabilities
by Stephen Sammut, Edward Gatt and Ruben P. Borg
Micromachines 2024, 15(10), 1210; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15101210 - 29 Sep 2024
Viewed by 3661
Abstract
This paper introduces a novel design for a liquid-deployed Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (PMUT). This design was specifically developed to resonate at a lower ultrasonic frequency than a PMUT with a circular, fully clamped diaphragm with the same diameter. Furthermore, the novel design [...] Read more.
This paper introduces a novel design for a liquid-deployed Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (PMUT). This design was specifically developed to resonate at a lower ultrasonic frequency than a PMUT with a circular, fully clamped diaphragm with the same diameter. Furthermore, the novel design was also optimised to enhance its ultrasonic radiation reception capabilities. These parametric enhancements were necessary to develop a PMUT device that could form part of an eventual microscale sensory device used for the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Through these two enhancements, an eventual microscale sensor can be made smaller, thus taking up a smaller die footprint and also be able to be deployed further apart from each other. Eventually, this would reduce the developed distributed sensor system’s cost. The innovative design employed a configuration where the diaphragm was only pinned at particular points along its circumference. This paper presents results from Finite Element Modelling (FEM), as well as experimental work that was conducted to develop and test this novel PMUT. The experimental work presented involved both laser vibrometry and ultrasonic radiation lab work. The results show that when compared to a clamped diaphragm design, the novel device managed to achieve the required reduction in resonant frequency and presented an enhanced sensitivity to incoming ultrasonic radiation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS Ultrasonic Transducers)
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13 pages, 4868 KiB  
Article
Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers for Transcranial, Multifocus Neurostimulation
by Tamzid Ibn Minhaj, Muhammetgeldi Annayev, Oluwafemi J. Adelegan, Ali Önder Biliroğlu, Feysel Yalçın Yamaner and Ömer Oralkan
Micromachines 2024, 15(9), 1106; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15091106 - 30 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1801
Abstract
In a recent study using 3-D fullwave simulations, it was shown for a nonhuman primate model that a helmet-shaped 3D array of 128 transducer elements can be assembled for neurostimulation in an optimized configuration with the accommodation of an imaging aperture. Considering all [...] Read more.
In a recent study using 3-D fullwave simulations, it was shown for a nonhuman primate model that a helmet-shaped 3D array of 128 transducer elements can be assembled for neurostimulation in an optimized configuration with the accommodation of an imaging aperture. Considering all acoustic losses, according to this study, for a nonhuman primate skull, the assembly of the proposed transducers was projected to produce sufficient focusing gain in two different focal positions at deep and shallow brain regions, thus providing sufficient acoustic intensity at these distinct focal points for neural stimulation. This array also has the ability to focus on multiple additional brain regions. In the work presented here, we designed and fabricated a single 15 mm diameter capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) element operating at 800 kHz central frequency with a 480 kHz 3 dB bandwidth, capable of producing a 190 kPa peak negative pressure (PNP) on the surface. The corresponding projected transcranial spatial peak pulse average intensity (ISPPA) was 28 Wcm−2, and the mechanical index (MI) value was 1.1 for an array of 128 of these elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS Ultrasonic Transducers)
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