Optical micromachined ultrasound transducers (OMUT)--a new approach for high-frequency transducers

The sensitivity and reliability of piezoelectric ultrasound transducers severely degrade in applications requiring high frequency and small element size. Alternative technologies such as capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUT) and optical sensing and generation of ultrasound have been proposed and studied for several decades. In this paper, we present a new type of device based on optical micromachined ultrasound transducer (OMUT) technology. OMUTs rely on microfabrication techniques to construct micrometerscale air cavities capped by an elastic membrane. A modified photoresist bonding process has been developed to facilitate the fabrication of these devices. We will describe the design, fabrication, and testing of prototype OMUT devices which implement a receive-only function. Future design modifications are proposed for incorporating complete transmit¿receive functionality in a single element.