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CMUT With Substrate-Embedded Springs For Non-Flexural Plate Movement.
Amin Nikoozadeh1, Pierre T Khuri-Yakub1
1Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Proceedings. IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium
|September 30, 2014
Summary
We developed a novel capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) design that mimics an ideal piston transducer. This new structure achieves higher efficiency and piston-like movement, overcoming limitations of conventional CMUTs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Conventional capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) exhibit limited displacement due to plate flexure and non-active anchored areas.
- This reduces overall transduction efficiency and deviates from ideal piston transducer behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate a novel CMUT structure that achieves piston-like top plate translation.
- To enhance CMUT efficiency and fill-factor by redesigning the mechanical structure.
Main Methods:
- Utilized finite element analysis (FEA) for designing and simulating the proposed CMUT structure.
- Fabricated prototype single-element transducers and 1-D arrays using a simple 3-mask process.
- Characterized fabricated devices through electrical impedance measurements and acoustic pressure testing.
Main Results:
- Simulations predicted fractional bandwidths over 100% in immersion and >90% average plate displacement.
- Fabricated prototypes demonstrated resonant behavior and achieved a peak-to-peak acoustic pressure of 1.5 MPa.
- The novel design confirmed piston-like plate movement and improved fill-factor compared to conventional CMUTs.
Conclusions:
- The proposed CMUT structure successfully replicates ideal piston transducer functionality.
- This design offers significantly improved efficiency and performance by avoiding plate flexure.
- The simplified fabrication process and enhanced performance make it suitable for advanced ultrasonic applications.
