Characterization of multiple moving membrane capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer
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Date
2019-07-25
Authors
Islam, Md. Iftekharul
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Abstract
A newly developed multiple moving membrane capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (M3-CMUT) is fabricated and characterized in this thesis. Unlike the single vibrating membrane in the conventional capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT), the novel design involves two deflectable membranes suspended over a fixed bottom electrode. In the presence of bias, both of the membranes deflect simultaneously, which results in a smaller cavity compared to a CMUT.
To understand the basics of a capacitive transducer, an equivalent mass-spring-capacitor model of CMUT was reported. The results of this analytical model were used to develop the finite element models (FEM) of CMUT and more complex M3-CMUT in COMSOL Multiphysics software. The electromechanical analysis of these models was conducted to observe their operating conditions. Following the modeling and analysis, several single-cell, 1-D, and 2-D arrays of these devices were fabricated using PolyMUMPs technology, a sacrificial fabrication technique for the MEMS transducers.
The electrical and acoustic characterizations of the fabricated devices were performed to measure the actual transducer properties. The measured data and the model results were found to be in good agreement. It was observed from the electrical impedance measurements that a higher membrane deflection was achieved in the double membrane device. The reduction in the cavity of M3-CMUT enhanced the sensitivity of the transducer. The acoustic characterization using a pitch-catch experimental setup demonstrated that the novel M3-CMUT could be used as an ultrasonic transducer. The velocity and attenuation of the acoustic waves, when the transducer used as both the transmitter and the receiver, were found to be very close to the theoretical value.
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Keywords
Microelectromechanical System (MEMS), Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT), Multiple Moving Membrane Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (M3-CMUT)