一种基于MATLAB的CMUT阵列设计与成像仿真方法

为了分析阵列设计参数与成像效果的关系,提高微电容超声传感器(CMUT)阵列设计的可靠性,提出了一种仿真CMUT阵列水下成像方法。设计了一种CMUT结构,振膜厚3μm,振动单元边长1.16 mm,ANSYS仿真得出中心频率为464 kHz。讨论了阵列参数与声束指向性关系,以空间脉冲响应理论为基础提出了一种可显示CMUT阵列成像效果图的仿真设计方法。通过MATLAB对该方法的仿真,模拟了不同结构的CMUT线阵在不同激励形式下的水下成像。仿真结果表明,64阵元且阵元中心距0.5λ的CMUT线阵在单脉冲激励下成像效果最好。该仿真方法的实验结果与理论一致,且相比单纯理论分析该方法结论更直观,考虑成像影响因素更全面。     

基于C-SOI工艺的一维MEMS电容式超声传感器阵列

提出了一种新的基于C-SOI工艺制备的电容式微加工超声传感器(CMUT)的方法.通过对加工过程中一些关键工艺步骤进行测试,发现所加工的微传感器尺寸与设计尺寸基本一致,且刻蚀的空腔高度均匀,键合效果良好,证明了工艺流程的可行性.此外,通过对所加工的传感器阵列进行测试发现,各阵元谐振频率和静态电容具有良好的一致性,说明以C-SOI工艺加工的CMUT器件满足设计要求,且适宜加工大阵列,这种加工技术使得加工成像阵列成为可能.     

基于硅硅键合的电容式微超声波换能器设计与测试

通过测试电容值的变化来分析电容式微超声波换能器(CMUT)的发射性能。介绍了CMUT的工艺过程,关键工艺为硅硅键合。利用硅硅键合工艺制作的CMUT误差小、工艺流程简单且能进行量产。利用E4990A阻抗分析仪测试CMUT电容值得到CMUT初始电容值为680 p F,阵列内电容值一致性良好,误差为0. 62 p F,并对所设计的CMUT进行带宽测试,得出其在-6 d B时归一化带宽为200%,远远优于现有的传感器。     

一种凸纹薄膜CMUT阵列的设计与实现

为提升电容式微机械超声换能器(CMUT)的输出声压，本文提出一种新型凸纹薄膜CMUT阵列设计与实现方法。首先结合解析法与有限元分析法设计器件；然后结合牺牲层释放工艺与电镀方法在CMUT电极上制备尺寸为3μm×2μm的镍凸纹圆环；最后对凸纹薄膜CMUT阵列进行光学、电学与声学特性测量。声学测量结果表明在塌陷模式下78%的工作点范围内，凸纹薄膜CMUT的输出声压均比常规的平膜CMUT高。当直流偏置电压为160V时，凸纹薄膜CMUT的输出声压提升21.2 %，3-dB相对带宽为54%。本研究成果为新型CMUT的设计与实现提供了有益的指导。     

电磁超声换能器优化设计与板状结构损伤成像应用研究

提出了一种用于板状结构损伤成像的虚拟电磁超声换能器EMAT(Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer)阵列.由螺旋线圈和圆柱形永磁铁组成的电磁超声换能器可以通过洛伦兹力在铝板中有效地激发低频散和高幅值的单一S0模态兰姆波.实验研究了电磁超声换能器配置参数(如激发频率,螺旋线圈外径、螺旋线圈内径和提离距离)对S0模态兰姆波性能的影响.另外,将接收电磁超声换能器移动到用于接收兰姆波的多个预定义位置来构建虚拟传感器阵列,实验研究了阵元间距和阵元数量对成像结果的影响.结果表明,通过相控虚拟聚焦成像方法,虚拟电磁超声换能器阵列的成像结果与实际损伤位置吻合良好.     

水下CMUT动态性能仿真与测试的研究

目前CMUT以其频带宽、易集成阵列化、无需匹配层、灵敏度高等优点成为水下超声传感器在研究及应用推广方面的一个新热点。主要开展了对CMUT动态性能的仿真与测试。首先利用SIMULINK对CMUT发射和接收性能进行动态仿真分析,并建立实验平台,以仿真结果作为依据对CMUT动态性能进行了测试,同时实现了CMUT水下初步探测。本研究为CMUT的设计提供了有利的依据。     

基于压电复合材料的二维面阵超声换能器性能研究

采用锆钛酸铅陶瓷基环氧树脂1—3复合压电材料,制作了一种64(8×8)阵元二维面阵超声换能器,并对其进行性能研究.实验测试表明:二维面阵超声换能器一致性良好,回波带宽为40.8％,中心频率为5.0 MHz,与理论设计的3.5 MHz中心频率保持基本一致.对二维面阵超声换能器的声场进行仿真模拟和表征,验证了该超声换能器产...     

声透镜聚焦相控阵换能器的波束特性研究

聚焦声透镜可以使平面换能器获得与球面自聚焦换能器几乎一样的聚焦效果,但对于平面阵列换能器而言,能否利用聚焦声透镜来增强相控聚焦的效果尚待研究。首先基于声透镜聚焦阵列换能器的几何结构,并利用数值计算和有限元仿真的方法,获得了相控条件下声透镜聚焦阵列换能器的辐射声场。其次,利用FPGA相控发射系统激励32(8×4)阵元声透镜聚焦阵列换能器,并采用探针水听器扫描法,获得了各偏转条件下换能器的相控辐射声场,测试结果与仿真计算的结果基本一致。理论计算与实验结果都表明,利用聚焦声透镜可以使平面阵列换能器获得较好的聚焦波束,在一定范围内主瓣可有效偏转、旁瓣较小;但超出该范围则会出现旁瓣变强、散焦等问题。从加工工艺、制造成本方面考虑,声透镜聚焦阵列换能器可以用于小范围内的无损检测,以及人体的局部超声治疗。     

线形超声相控阵换能器的阵列设计

超声相控阵检测技术是利用脉冲反射法对被检构件中是否存在缺陷(如裂纹、夹杂、气孔等)进行无损检测,阵列换能器是该检测技术中实现电-声转换的传感器件,其声场特性是能否获得并有效利用被检测部位或区域回波信息的决定因素,也是设计换能器阵的主要依据。从平面矩形活塞阵元的辐射声场出发,利用简便算法对阵元辐射声场、一维线阵辐射声场进行了仿真模拟,分析了影响阵列换能器性能的几个主要因素,提供了阵列换能器的设计思路,并对采用相控阵超声换能器与常规超声换能器探测人工缺陷时的扫查波形进行了比较。     

声学参量换能器阵及其测试系统设计

根据声学参量阵原理,设计了一个3×3的九元矩形换能器阵及其测试系统,并在空气进行验证性实验;系统包括正弦信号产生电路、信号控制电路、功率放大电路以及回波信号接收电路等,辅以LabVIEW平台,实现正弦信号和脉冲控制信号的产生,发射信号时间长度控制以及功率放大,并最终驱动换能器阵;实验表明,当有85kHz和90kHz的正弦信号产生时,系统各部分均能正常工作,能够听到天花板处有声响,且回波信号中含有5kHz的频率成分,即证明换能器阵及其系统的设计均是可行的.     

Fabrication and measurements of dynamic response of an SOI based non-planar CMUT array

An SOI based hyperbolic paraboloid geometry capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array has been fabricated to realize a frequency independent constant beamwidth broadband beamforming capability. Detailed fabrication and packaging techniques are presented along with measurement results on individual CMUT cells for transient and steady-state response using a Polytec laser Doppler vibrometer. The measurement results are compared with analytical and 3-D electromechanical finite element analysis using IntelliSuite?. The measured results are in excellent agreement with analytical and FEA results. Measurement results also show that the CMUTs exhibit a flat bandwidth within the specified frequency range. SEM inspection also shows very close agreement between mask features and fabricated geometry that ensures reproducibility of the device with a high degree of fidelity. The CMUT array has been designed for automotive blindspot detection application and works in the 113–167?kHz range.     

Design and performance analysis of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array for underwater imaging

Microsystem Technologies - In this paper, a Receipt & Transmission CMUT array has been developed for underwater imaging purposes. To guide the array design more intuitively, directivity...     

Integration of Trench-Isolated Through-Wafer Interconnects with 2D Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer Arrays

This paper presents a method to provide electrical connection to a 2D capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array. The interconnects are processed after the CMUTs are fabricated on the front side of a silicon wafer. Connections to array elements are made from the back side of the substrate via highly conductive silicon pillars that result from a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process. Flip-chip bonding is used to integrate the CMUT array with an integrated circuit (IC) that comprises the front-end circuits for the transducer and provides mechanical support for the trench-isolated array elements. Design, fabrication process and characterization results are presented. The advantages when compared to other through-wafer interconnect techniques are discussed.     

A Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer Array for Minimally Invasive Medical Diagnosis

A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array for minimally invasive medical diagnosis has been developed. Unlike traditional ultrasonic transducers, which generally use a bulky piece of substrate, this transducer array was integrated on a 40--thick micromachined silicon substrate into a probe shape with a typical shank width of 50-80 and a shank length of 4-8 mm. For 1-D arrays, 24-96 CMUT devices were integrated on one such silicon probe and formed an accurately configured phase array. In addition to miniaturization, reduction of the substrate thickness also decreases the intertransducer crosstalk due to substrate Lamb waves. Due to its miniature size, this array can be placed or implanted close to the target tissue/organ and can perform high-resolution high-precision diagnosis and stimulation using high-frequency ultrasounds. The issue of conflict between resolution and penetration depth of ultrasonic diagnosis can therefore be resolved. A two-layer polysilicon surface micromachining process was used to fabricate this device. Suspended polysilicon membranes of diameters ranging from 20 to 90 and thicknesses from 1.0 to 2.5 were used to generate and detect ultrasounds of frequencies ranging from 1 to 10 MHz. B-mode imaging using this transducer array has been demonstrated.     

基于Matlab的基阵方向性仿真研究

根据水声传播和换能器基阵理论，建立了任意几何分布的基阵方向性的数学模型。借助于Matlab软件，研究了基阵三维方向性图的精细表示方法，对不同坐标网格表现的基阵方向性图进行了对比分析。通过分解三维方向性图得到了任意定向平面上及轴向等开角的方向性仿真曲线图。应用表明，结论对于基阵方向性的仿真与设计具有一定实用价值和指导意义。     

Performance enhancement of a piezoelectric linear array transducer by half-concave geometric design

A geometric design for array elements of a piezoelectric linear array transducer is proposed and evaluated. The design concept is based on the half-concave geometry, in which the radiating surface is concave while the other surface remains plane. A ∼1.8 MHz piezoelectric linear array transducer with half-concave elements has been designed, fabricated and evaluated. A dicing method was developed to shape the concave surfaces of the piezo elements and matching layers. By comparing the transducer performance, a traditional linear array transducer with similar dimension has been fabricated. It was found that the half-concave array transducer has significantly broader −6 dB bandwidth (96%), higher effective electromechanical coupling coefficient (0.62), and lower insertion loss (−21 dB) compared to those (76%, 0.55, and −25 dB, respectively) of the plane array transducer. The enhanced coupling coefficient and bandwidth are caused by the broaden resonance of the elements, which is induced by the continuously varying thickness in the designed geometry. The increased sensitivity is mainly attributed to the focused radiating surface.     

Equivalent circuit for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers to predict anti-resonances

Equivalent circuit models have been long used to evaluate the dynamics of the capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). An important parameter in the characterization of a CMUT is the anti-resonance frequency, which limits the immersion bandwidth. However, there is no equivalent circuit model that can accurately determine the anti-resonance frequency of a membrane. In this work, we present an improved lumped element parametric model for immersed CMUT. We demonstrate that the proposed equivalent circuit model accurately predicts anti-resonance and higher order mode frequencies, in addition to that of the fundamental mode. The proposed circuit model is in good agreement with device characteristics calculated using the finite element method and experimentally measured data.

     

Influences of perforation ratio in characteristics of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers in air

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) with a perforated membrane have been fabricated and characterized in air. Two types of CMUT device have been fabricated having perforation ratio (area ratio of holes = AR) of 10% and 20%, and analyzed about electrical and mechanical characteristics. The perforation ratio (AR) of membrane substantially influences on the electrostatic force and mechanical restoring force of the device since it leads to the area variation of electrode and membrane, it subsequently influences on the sensitivity and frequency response of the CMUT device. The electrostatic force and mechanical restoring force were improved by decreasing the AR and increasing the DC bias voltage. The open-circuit sensitivity of a CMUT having AR 10% membrane, 8.45 μV/Pa, is larger than that of AR 20%, 4.07 μV/Pa at DC 15 V. Furthermore, the resonance behaviors were observed in the range of 60-80 kHz, and the resonance frequency could be changed by varying the applied DC voltage and AR.     

An evaluation of optical profilometry techniques for CMUT characterization

Accurate characterization of thin films and geometric features including the cavities during and after the fabrication process is crucial for proper CMUT operation, reliability, consistent array operation, and improved yield. Three different optical profilometry techniques: white light interferometry, laser confocal microscopy, and structural grid illumination microscopy have been reviewed in this paper with a focus on characterization of various thin films and geometric features during different CMUT fabrication stages and post processing. The relative merits of each technique have been investigated experimentally in the context of CMUT fabrication for better characterization and process development. The surface roughness and diaphragm deformation results have also been compared with AFM data. From the review, it appears that characterization needs of CMUTs are unique and a combination of complex diversified characterization tools is necessary to generate sufficient data for design verification and functional optimization.

     

低噪声电容式超声传感器的结构与电路设计

本文提出了一种紧凑的可动浮栅型电容式超声传感器(Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer,CMUT)器件结构和低噪声高频电路。该结构包含通常CMUT上下电极和MOS晶体管。建模对浮栅型CMUT器件进行了直流分析和时变电容的瞬态分析,模拟结果表明该传感器结构比传统CMUT具有更低的寄生电容和输出阻抗。在1.5Pa超声声压下进行Cadence和ANSYS仿真,输出信号为40.1mV,在1MHz等效输出噪声为16.59nV/Hz1/2,直流增益为74.73dB,单位增益带宽为488MHz。指标优于传统的CMUT结构,具有医学三维成像的应用前景。