Characterization of a polymer film optical fiber hydrophone for use in the range 1 to 20 MHz: a comparison with PVDF needle and membrane hydrophones

A small aperture wideband ultrasonic optical fiber hydrophone is described. The transduction mechanism is based on the detection of acoustically induced changes in the optical thickness of a 25-mum thick parylene polymer film acting as a low finesse Fabry Perot (FP) interferometer that is deposited directly onto the end of a single mode optical fiber. The acoustic performance compares favorably with that of PVDF needle and membrane hydrophones with a peak noise-equivalent-pressure (without signal averaging) of 10 kPa over a 25-MHz measurement bandwidth, a wideband response to 20 MHz, and a near omnidirectional performance at 10 MHz. The dynamic range was 60 dB with an upper limit of linear detection of 11 MPa and a temporal stability of <5% over a period of 20 h. The hydrophone can also measure temperature changes with a resolution of 0.065 degrees C, offering the prospect of making simultaneous acoustic pressure and temperature measurements. The transduction parameters of the FP sensing element were measured, yielding an ultrasonic acoustic phase sensitivity of 0.075 rad/MPa and a temperature phase sensitivity of 0.077 rad/ degrees C. The ability to achieve high acoustic sensitivity with small element sizes and to repeatably fabricate rugged sensor downleads using polymer deposition techniques suggests that this type of hydrophone can provide a practical alternative to piezoelectric hydrophone technology.     

25 MHz ultrasonic transducers with lead- free piezoceramic, 1-3 PZT fiber-epoxy composite, and PVDF polymer active elements

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of single-element ultrasonic transducers whose active elements are made of lead-free piezoceramic, 1-3 PZT/polymer composite and PVDF film. The lead free piezoelectric KNNLT- LS(K_0.44Na_0.52Li_0.04)(Nb_0.84Ta_0.10S_0.06b)O₃ powders and ceramics were prepared under controlled humidity and oxygen flow rate during sintering. Due to its moderate longitudinal piezoelectric charge coefficient (175 pC/N) and k_t of 0.50, the KNN-LT-LS composition may be a good candidate for highfrequency transducer applications. PZT fibers with 25 μm diameter formed by the viscose suspension spinning process were incorporated into epoxy to fabricate 1-3 composites with the averaged k_t = 0.64 and d₃₃ = 400 pC/N. Using KNN-LS-LT ceramic, 1-3 PZT fiber composite, and PVDF film, 3 different unfocused single element transducers with center frequencies of 25 MHz were fabricated. The acoustic characterization of the transducers demonstrated that wideband and low insertion loss could be obtained employing KNN-LS-LT ceramic. The ?6 dB bandwidth and insertion loss were 70% and ?21 dB, respectively. In comparison, the insertion loss of the ceramic transducer was much smaller than those made with 1-3 composite and PVDF film. This was attributed to closer electrical impedance match to 50 Ω and higher thickness coupling coefficient of the ceramic transducer.     

Optoacoustic methods for frequency calibration of ultrasonic sensors

The frequency response of ultrasonic detectors is commonly calibrated by finding their sensitivity to incident plane waves at discrete frequencies. For certain applications, such as the emerging field of optoacoustic tomography, it is the response to point sources emitting broadband spectra that needs to be found instead. Although these two distinct sensitivity characteristics are interchangeable in the case of a flat detector and a point source at infinity, it is not the case for detectors with size considerably larger than the acoustic wavelength of interest or those having a focused aperture. Such geometries, which are common in optoacoustics, require direct calibration of the acoustic detector using a point source placed in the relevant position. In this paper, we report on novel cross-validating optoacoustic methods for measuring the frequency response of wideband acoustic sensors. The approach developed does not require pre-calibrated hydrophones and therefore can be readily adopted in any existing optoacoustic measurement configuration. The methods are successfully confirmed experimentally by measuring the frequency response of a common piezoelectric detector having a cylindrically focused shape.     

Experimental study of the acoustical properties of polymers utilized to construct PVDF ultrasonic transducers and the acousto-electric properties of PVDF and P(VDF/TrFE) films

Several acoustic transmission and reflection technique measurements were carried out to determine mechanical properties (acoustic attenuation and velocity) versus frequency of polyvinylidene-fluoride (PVDF) and six other polymers. Acoustic measurements (0.5 to 12 MHz) included time-delay spectrometry (TDS; in which separate transmitting and receiving transducers utilize a swept frequency signal) and two pulse-echo methods (short tone burst echoes utilizing transducers with different center frequencies and Fourier analysis of echoes sent and received by damped transducers operating in the broadband pulse mode). Electrical impedance measurements of piezoelectric thin films of PVDF and P(VDF/TrFE) yielded comparable high frequency mechanical parameters. Of the seven acoustically examined polymers, PVDF had the greatest acoustic impedance, lowest acoustic velocity, and greatest mechanical loss (13.4 dB/cm per MHz). Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA; lucite) and polydimethyl-pentane (TPX) had the lowest loss. PMMA had the highest acoustic velocity, and TPX had the lowest acoustic impedance and a velocity almost identical to that of PVDF. These data are useful in the design of backing, matching, and lens materials to be used in association with PVDF transducers.     

Transduction mechanisms of the Fabry-Perot polymer film sensing concept for wideband ultrasound detection

The transduction mechanisms of a wideband (30 MHz) contact ultrasound sensor based upon the use of a thin polymer film acting as a Fabry-Perot interferometer have been investigated. Polyethylene terepthalate (PET) sensing elements, illuminated by the free-space collimated output of a wavelength-tunable DBR laser diode, have been used to study the sensor transfer function, sensitivity, the effect of water absorption, and frequency response characteristics. Acoustic performance was evaluated by comparing the sensor output with that of a calibrated PVDF membrane hydrophone using laser-generated acoustic transients as a source of broadband ultrasound. An ultrasonic acoustic phase sensitivity of 0.1 rad/MPa, a linear operating range to 5 MPa, and a noise-equivalent-pressure of 20 kPa over a 25 MHz measurement bandwidth were obtained using a water-backed 50 mum PET sensing film. A model of frequency response that incorporates the effect of an adhesive layer between the sensor film and backing material has been developed and validated for different sensing film thicknesses, backing configurations, and adhesive layer thicknesses.     

Characterization of all the elastic,dielectric, and piezoelectric constants of uniaxially oriented poled PVDF films

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a piezoelectric material, has many useful applications, for example, as sensors, transducers, and surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. Models of performance of these devices would be useful engineering tools. However, the benefit of the model is only as accurate as the material properties used in the model. The purpose of this investigation is to measure the elastic, dielectric and piezoelectric properties over a frequency range, including the imaginary part (loss) of these properties. Measurements are difficult because poled material is available as thin films, and not all quantities can be measured in that form. All components of the elastic stiffness, dielectric tensor, and electromechanical coupling tensor are needed in the models. The material studied here is uniaxially oriented poled PVDF that has orthorhombic mm2 symmetry. Presented are the frequency dependence of all nine complex elastic constants, three complex dielectric constants, and five complex piezoelectric constants. The PVDF was produced at Raytheon Research Division, Lexington, MA. Measurements were made on thin films and on stacked, cubical samples. The elastic constants c₄₄^D and c₅₅^D, the dielectric constants e₁₁^T and e₂₂^T , as well as the piezoelectric constants g₁₅ and g₂₄ reported here have not been published before. The values were determined by ultrasonic measurements using an impedance analyzer and a least square data-fitting technique     

Study on electromechanical characterization of piezoelectric polymer PVDF in low-frequency band

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a piezoelectric polymer material, is well known as one of the best smart materials to be used for tactile sensors in robots for its good performance. It has been used in many applications including sensors, actuators and surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. This paper presents an experimental setup and experimental procedures for studying the electromechanical characterization of piezoelectric polymer films, by which the electromechanical characterization of the PVDF films under quasi-static loads and dynamic loads in a wide range of frequency can be researched. Through quasi-static tests, the stress–strain relationships of PVDF films in different directions were obtained. Furthermore, the viscoelastic and piezoelectric properties of PVDF films were analyzed based on the measurement results of dynamic tests under low frequency from 5 Hz to 200 Hz, and some suggestions of the applications of PVDF piezoelectric films in robot tactile sensor are presented.     

Fiber optic ultrasonic sensor using Raman-Nath light diffraction

A novel fiber optic ultrasonic sensor using the principle of Raman-Nath light diffraction has been developed. The sensor does not perturb the acoustic field and exhibits a wideband frequency response. In addition to the remote sensing of the field, it is suitable for measurements of both continuous and pulsed ultrasonic waves. The experimental results obtained with the sensor were compared to those measured using a calibrated PVDF needle hydrophone, showing excellent agreement. The sensor's frequency response in the range from 3 to 15 MHz, typical of that used in medical ultrasound imaging, was determined using the time delay spectrometry (TDS) technique. It appears that the fiber optic sensor provides a useful alternative to the widely used PVDF ultrasonic probes in specific applications where any perturbation between acoustic field and sensor is undesirable. Also, since the active element diameter of the sensor can be made comparable to the core diameter of an optical fiber, the fiber optic sensor minimizes the spatial averaging effects and offers significant improvement in comparison with the present state-of-the-art hydrophones which have a minimum diameter on the order of 300 μm     

Electric poling and electromechanical characterization of 0.1-mm-thick sensor films and 0.2-mm-thick cable layers from piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)

Piezoelectric polymers have been proposed for many sensor and actuator applications. Among these, piezoelectric polymer films with thicknesses between several tens and a few hundreds of micrometers as well as coaxial cables with piezoelectric polymer layers are highly suitable and attractive for the detection of mechanical loads. In addition to good piezoelectric properties, materials for such sensors should have high mechanical strength. Therefore, the most common materials are nonporous piezoelectric polymers, such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or its copolymer with trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)). Here, P(VDF-TrFE) polymer films as well as the operating principle and the geometry of piezoelectric polymer cables are described. As active piezoelectric cable layer, P(VDF-TrFE) (76/24) was employed. After electrical poling with one or more point-to-cable corona discharges, the polarization in the P(VDF-TrFE) layer was investigated. Poling parameters, such as electric field and poling time, were varied. The resulting polarization was characterized with measurements of polarization profiles across the film or the cable-layer thickness as well as with the determination of other electromechanical quantities. The optimized poling process yields good piezoelectric properties in the piezoelectric polymer layers as well as useful sensor properties of the piezoelectric polymer cable, which are assessed and discussed.     

通过PVDF传感器测量振动板结构的声辐射模态伴随系数

基于声辐射模态理论进行ASAC控制系统中的一个重要内容就是获得声辐射模态伴随系数。以简支板为例,设计了一种新的PVDF(POLYVINYLIDENE FLUORIDE聚偏氟乙烯)压电传感器,用来测量板的前3阶声辐射模态伴随系数。由仿真计算结果表明,在中低频率,测量第一阶声辐射模态伴随系数时,只需要在板布置两条PVDF传感器即可;测量第二、三阶声辐射模态伴随系数时,可在板上布置多条传感器能得到比较精确的结果。同时PVDF传感器测量的结果与理论相符,说明这种新型PVDF压电传感器的设计是可行的。     

Wideband spherically focused PVDF acoustic sources for calibration of ultrasound hydrophone probes

Several broadband sources have been developed for the purpose of calibrating hydrophones. The specific configuration described is intended for the calibration of hydrophones In a frequency range of 1 to 40 MHz. All devices used 25 /spl mu/m film of PVDF bonded to a matched backing. Two had radii of curvatures (ROC) of 25.4 and 127 mm with f numbers of 3.8 and 19, respectively. Their active element diameter was 0.28 in (6.60 mm). The active diameter of the third source used was 25 mm, and it had an ROC of 254 mm and an f number of 10. The use of a focused element minimized frequency-dependent diffraction effects, resulting in a smooth variation of acoustic pressure at the focus from 1 to 40 MHz. Also, using a focused PVDF source permitted calibrations above 20 MHz without resorting to harmonic generation via nonlinear propagation.     

一种采用PVDF压电薄膜的弯张换能器

本文提出了一种采用PVDF压电薄膜代替弯张换能器的金属外壳的新型弯张换能器,即一种采用PVDF压电薄膜的弯张换能器。用阻抗分析仪、激光扫描测振仪和水声测量系统分别测量了采用PVDF压电薄膜的弯张换能器的谐振频率、带宽、发送电压响应、水平指向性。通过对比分析实验结果,可以看出该新型换能器与传统换能器一样可以将压电晶堆纵的振动转化为壳体的径向振动。     

Scanning acoustic microscopy investigation of frequency-dependent reflectance of acid- etched human dentin using homotopic measurements

Composite restorations in modern restorative dentistry rely on the bond formed in the adhesive-infiltrated acid-etched dentin. The physical characteristics of etched dentin are, therefore, of paramount interest. However, characterization of the acid-etched zone in its natural state is fraught with problems stemming from a variety of sources including its narrow size, the presence of water, heterogeneity, and spatial scale dependency. We have developed a novel homotopic (same location) measurement methodology utilizing scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). Homotopic measurements with SAM overcome the problems encountered by other characterization/imaging methods. These measurements provide us with acoustic reflectance at the same location of both the pre- and post-etched dentin in its natural state. We have applied this methodology for in vitro measurements on dentin samples. Fourier spectra from acid-etched dentin showed amplitude reduction and shifts of the central frequency that were location dependent. Through calibration, the acoustic reflectance of acid-etched dentin was found to have complex and non-monotonic frequency dependence. These data suggest that acid-etching of dentin results in a near-surface graded layer of varying thickness and property gradations. The measurement methodology described in this paper can be applied to systematically characterize mechanical properties of heterogeneous soft layers and interfaces in biological materials.     

聚偏氟乙烯及其共聚物基压电复合材料的研究进展

聚合物压电材料聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)及其共聚物P(VDF-TrFE)、P(VDF-HFP)是一类典型的具有压电性的有机高分子材料,它们由于具有良好的力学性能、耐腐蚀性、生物相容性以及易于加工等特点而受到研究人员的广泛关注。但相对于传统无机类压电陶瓷材料来说,聚合物压电材料的压电常数仍相对较低,因此提升这类聚合物压电材料的压电性能已成为目前国内外的研究热点之一。本文对近年来国内外利用PVDF及其共聚物与不同功能材料进行复合来改善其压电性能的方法进行了概述,并对不同类型填料掺杂不同聚合物压电材料的利弊及发展趋势进行了展望。      

Membrane hydrophone phase characteristics through nonlinear acoustics measurements

This work considers the need for both the amplitude and phase to fully characterize polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane hydrophones and presents a comprehensive discussion of the nonlinear acoustic measurements utilized to extract the phase information and the experimental results taken with two widely used PVDF membrane hydrophones up to 100 MHz. A semi-empirical computer model utilized the hyperbolic propagation operator to predict the nonlinear pressure field and provide the complex frequency response of the corresponding source transducer. The PVDF hydrophone phase characteristics, which were obtained directly from the difference between the computer-modeled nonlinear field simulation and the corresponding measured harmonic frequency phase values, agree to within 10% with the phase predictions obtained from receive-transfer-function simulations based on software modeling of the membrane's physical properties. Cable loading effects and membrane hydrophone resonances were distinguished and identified through a series of impedance measurements and receive transfer function simulations on the hydrophones including their hard-wired coaxial cables. The results obtained indicate that the PVDF membrane hydrophone's phase versus frequency plot exhibits oscillations about a monotonically decreasing line. The maxima and minima inflection point slopes occur at the membrane thickness resonances and antiresonances, respectively. A cable resonance was seen at 100 MHz for the hydrophone with a 1-m cable attached, but not seen for the hydrophone with a shorter 0.65-m cable.     

Characterization of optoacoustic surgical devices

Describes a measurement technique specially developed to characterize optoacoustic sources. The technique provides a convenient baseline for a comparison of different surgical ultrasonic systems utilizing optoacoustic and ultrasonic transducers. In addition, it provides a well-defined tool to optimize the performance of a variety of designs. Attention is focused on the laser-assisted devices in which appropriately delivered light energy is converted into acoustic shock wave. A meaningful comparison of such devices with other therapeutic equipment designed for a direct interaction with tissue requires knowledge of energy needed for a successful surgical treatment. It is demonstrated that knowledge of the key shock wave parameters allows the total acoustic energy associated with the shock wave to be determined. The procedure developed to calculate this energy is discussed and it is shown that the value of this energy can be conveniently used as an indicator of efficacy of an optoacoustic converter in a clinical environment. The influence of the performance of the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hydrophone probes on the measurement results was also analyzed. It was determined that when appropriately selected, the wide-band PVDF probes are well suited for characterization of the optoacoustic devices in the frequency range 1-100 MHz. The characterization procedure developed is applicable to surgical ultrasonic systems including conventional and laser-assisted phacoemulsifiers     

基于分布源边界点法的近场声全息实验研究

采用基于分布源边界点法的近场声全息技术对运转状态下的罗茨真空泵进行了噪声源识别和定位研究。实验采用13个声压传感器组成的传声器阵列和1个参考传声器测量全息面上的复声压信息，进而通过基于分布源边界点法的近场声全息技术和Tikhonov正则化方法重建获得声源的表面法向振速。重建结果表明：在测量信号中存在的2个低频噪声是支架在真空泵振动的激励作用下产生共振所致，而非真空泵本身所固有的噪声；而1533．2～1699．2Hz的宽带噪声则是真空泵端盖表面振动所产生，是真空泵所固有的噪声。同时，重建结果给出了各频率处噪声源的具体位置，为有效地进行真空泵的噪声控制提供了依据。     

PZT陶瓷粉体及其PVDF压电复合材料的制备与性能

采用溶胶-凝胶法合成PZT压电陶瓷粉体,经XRD和SEM分析显示,陶瓷颗粒已形成了钙钛矿型结晶相,颗粒大小在0.1~1μm之间。采用溶液共混法将PZT粒子均匀分散于PVDF基体中,制备了PZT/PVDF压电复合材料。结果表明,增加PZT含量有利于复合材料压电性能的提高,当陶瓷体积分数达70%时,复合材料的压电常数最高。     

PVDF/PZNZT压电复合材料的结构与性能

为了扩展压电复合材料的应用领域,首先,通过固相合成法制备了0-3型聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)/Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.05Zr_0.47Ti_0.48O₃ (PZNZT)压电复合材料;然后,研究了PVDF含量对PVDF/PZNZT复合材料物相、显微结构及性能的影响。结果表明:PZNZT陶瓷粉料与PVDF粉料混合后,其平均粒度接近于纯PVDF粉料的。于220℃下烧结后, PVDF/PZNZT复合材料在XRD谱图中主要显现出PZNZT钙钛矿结构的衍射峰。当PVDF含量较低时, PZNZT陶瓷晶粒间的结合较松散;随着PVDF含量的增加,陶瓷晶粒几乎都被PVDF相包围。因显微结构不同,不同PVDF含量的PVDF/PZNZT复合材料在极化电场中呈现出不同的串、并联电路。极化后, 5wt% PVDF/PZNZT复合材料的电性能最佳,其介电常数为116、介电损耗tan δ为0.04、压电常数为48 pC/N且机电耦合系数为0.28。随PVDF含量的增加, PVDF/PZNZT复合材料的居里温度降低,维氏硬度有所增加,但仍小于纯PZNZT压电陶瓷的硬度。所得结论显示PVDF/PZNZT压电复合材料的性能可以满足水声、电声及超声换能器等的要求。      

Probing acoustic fields of clinically relevant transducers: the effect of hydrophone probes' finite apertures and bandwidths

The influence of finite aperture and frequency response of piezoelectric ultrasonic hydrophone probes on the free-field pulse intensity integral (PII) and mechanical index (MI) was investigated using a comprehensive acoustic wave propagation model. The model developed was capable of predicting the true pressure-time waveforms at virtually any point in the field. The input to the model used pressure amplitude data measured in the immediate vicinity of the acoustic source or transducer considered. The experimental verification of the model was obtained using a commercially available, 8 MHz, dynamically focused linear array and a single element, 5 MHz, focused rectangular source. The verification was performed at low and high excitation levels, corresponding to linear and nonlinear acoustic wave propagation, respectively. The pressure-time waveforms were recorded using piezoelectric polymer hydrophone probes that had different sensitivities, frequency responses, bandwidths, and active element diameters. The nominal diameters of the probes ranged from 50 to 500 microm, and their useable bandwidths varied between 55 and 100 MHz. The PII, used to calculate the thermal index (TI), was found to increase with increasing bandwidth and decreasing effective aperture of the probes. The MI, another safety indicator, also was affected, but to a lesser extent. The corrections predicted using the model were used to reduce discrepancies as large as 30% in the determination of PII. The results of this work indicate that, by accounting for hydrophones' finite aperture and correcting the value of PII, all intensities derived from the PII can be corrected for spatial averaging error. The results also point out that caution should be exercised when comparing acoustic output data. In particular, hydrophone's frequency characteristics of the effective diameter and sensitivity are needed to correctly determine the MI, TI, and the total acoustic output power produced by an imaging transducer.