Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers
Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been developed for air-coupled applications to address key challenges such as noise, prolonged ringing, and side-lobe interference. This study introduces an optimized CMUT design that leverages the squeeze-film damping effect to achieve a...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Micromachines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/797 |
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| author | Amirhossein Moshrefi Abid Ali Mathieu Gratuze Frederic Nabki |
| author_facet | Amirhossein Moshrefi Abid Ali Mathieu Gratuze Frederic Nabki |
| author_sort | Amirhossein Moshrefi |
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| description | Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been developed for air-coupled applications to address key challenges such as noise, prolonged ringing, and side-lobe interference. This study introduces an optimized CMUT design that leverages the squeeze-film damping effect to achieve a low-quality factor, enhancing resolution and temporal precision for imaging as one of the suggested airborne application. The device was fabricated using the PolyMUMPs process, ensuring high structural accuracy and consistency. Finite element analysis (FEA) simulations validated the optimized parameters, demonstrating improved displacement, reduced side-lobe artifacts, and sharper main lobes for superior imaging performance. Experimental validation, including Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) measurements of membrane displacement and mode shapes, along with ring oscillation tests to assess Q-factor and signal decay, confirmed the device’s reliability and consistency across four CMUT arrays. Additionally, this study explores the implementation of multi-frequency CMUT arrays, enhancing imaging versatility across different air-coupled applications. By integrating multiple frequency bands, the proposed CMUTs enable adaptable imaging focus, improving their suitability for diverse diagnostic scenarios. These advancements highlight the potential of the proposed design to deliver a superior performance for airborne applications, paving the way for its integration into advanced diagnostic systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7db947b7ee584dab8d0cd004d04bf560 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-7db947b7ee584dab8d0cd004d04bf5602025-08-20T03:36:12ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2025-07-0116779710.3390/mi16070797Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic TransducersAmirhossein Moshrefi0Abid Ali1Mathieu Gratuze2Frederic Nabki3Department of Electrical Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, CanadaDepartment of Electrical Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, CanadaDepartment of Electrical Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, CanadaDepartment of Electrical Engineering, École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, CanadaCapacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been developed for air-coupled applications to address key challenges such as noise, prolonged ringing, and side-lobe interference. This study introduces an optimized CMUT design that leverages the squeeze-film damping effect to achieve a low-quality factor, enhancing resolution and temporal precision for imaging as one of the suggested airborne application. The device was fabricated using the PolyMUMPs process, ensuring high structural accuracy and consistency. Finite element analysis (FEA) simulations validated the optimized parameters, demonstrating improved displacement, reduced side-lobe artifacts, and sharper main lobes for superior imaging performance. Experimental validation, including Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) measurements of membrane displacement and mode shapes, along with ring oscillation tests to assess Q-factor and signal decay, confirmed the device’s reliability and consistency across four CMUT arrays. Additionally, this study explores the implementation of multi-frequency CMUT arrays, enhancing imaging versatility across different air-coupled applications. By integrating multiple frequency bands, the proposed CMUTs enable adaptable imaging focus, improving their suitability for diverse diagnostic scenarios. These advancements highlight the potential of the proposed design to deliver a superior performance for airborne applications, paving the way for its integration into advanced diagnostic systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/797ultrasonic sensorquality factor optimizationarray designCMUTMEMS |
| spellingShingle | Amirhossein Moshrefi Abid Ali Mathieu Gratuze Frederic Nabki Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers Micromachines ultrasonic sensor quality factor optimization array design CMUT MEMS |
| title | Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers |
| title_full | Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers |
| title_fullStr | Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers |
| title_short | Design and Fabrication of Multi-Frequency and Low-Quality-Factor Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers |
| title_sort | design and fabrication of multi frequency and low quality factor capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers |
| topic | ultrasonic sensor quality factor optimization array design CMUT MEMS |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/797 |
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