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Zhu K, Ma J, Liu Y, Shen B, Huo D, Yang Y, Qi X, Sun E, Zhang R. Increasing Performances of 1-3 Piezocomposite Ultrasonic Transducer by Alternating Current Poling Method. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13101715. [PMID: 36296068 PMCID: PMC9612043 DOI: 10.3390/mi13101715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasonic transducers are the basic core component of diagnostic imaging devices, wherein the piezoelectric materials are the active element of transducers. Recent studies showed that the alternating current poling (ACP) method could develop the properties of piezocomposites, which had great potential to improve transducer performance. Herein, transducers (fc = 3 MHz) made of DCP and ACP 1-3 piezocomposites (prepared by PZT-5H ceramics and PMN-PT single crystals) were fabricated. The effect of the ACP method on the bandwidth and insertion loss (sensitivity) was explored. The results indicate that the ACP method can significantly enhance the bandwidth and slightly increase the insertion loss of transducers. Particularly, a superhigh bandwidth of 142.8% was achieved in the transducer of ACP 1-3 PMN-PT single crystal combined with suitable matching and backing layers. This bandwidth is higher than that of all reported transducers with similar center frequency. Moreover, the optimization mechanism of transducer performance by the ACP method was discussed. The obtained results suggested that the ACP is an effective and convenient technology to improve transducer performances, especially for the bandwidth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Zhu
- Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Jinpeng Ma
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Functional Materials and Acousto-Optic Instruments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Functional Materials and Acousto-Optic Instruments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Bingzhong Shen
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Functional Materials and Acousto-Optic Instruments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Da Huo
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Functional Materials and Acousto-Optic Instruments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Yixiao Yang
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Functional Materials and Acousto-Optic Instruments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Xudong Qi
- Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China
| | - Enwei Sun
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Functional Materials and Acousto-Optic Instruments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- School of Instrumentation Science and Engineering, Functional Materials and Acousto-Optic Instruments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
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Chen J, Liu W, Gu D, Wu D. Laser Scanning Guided Localization Imaging with a Laser-Machined Two-Dimensional Flexible Ultrasonic Array. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13050754. [PMID: 35630221 PMCID: PMC9148115 DOI: 10.3390/mi13050754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Advances in flexible integrated circuit technology and piezoelectric materials allow high-quality stretchable piezoelectric transducers to be built in a form that is easy to integrate with the body’s soft, curved, and time-dynamic surfaces. The resulting capabilities create new opportunities for studying disease states, monitoring health/wellness, building human–machine interfaces, and performing other operations. However, more widespread application scenarios are placing new demands on the high flexibility and small size of the array. This paper provides a 8 × 8 two-dimensional flexible ultrasonic array (2D-FUA) based on laser micromachining; a novel single-layer “island bridge” structure was used to design flexible array and piezoelectric array elements to improve the imaging capability on complex surfaces. The mechanical and acoustoelectric properties of the array are characterized, and a novel laser scanning and positioning method is introduced to solve the problem of array element displacement after deformation of the 2D-FUA. Finally, a multi-modal localization imaging experiment was carried out on the multi-target steel pin on the plane and curved surface based on the Verasonics system. The results show that the laser scanning method has the ability to assist the rapid imaging of flexible arrays on surfaces with complex shapes, and that 2D-FUA has wide application potential in medical-assisted localization imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzhong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China; (J.C.); (W.L.)
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China; (J.C.); (W.L.)
| | - Dianbao Gu
- Xinhua Hospital Chongming Branch, Shanghai 202150, China
- Correspondence: (D.G.); (D.W.)
| | - Dawei Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China; (J.C.); (W.L.)
- Correspondence: (D.G.); (D.W.)
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A Fluidics-Based Double Flexural Membrane Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (PMUT) for Wide-Bandwidth Underwater Acoustic Applications. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21165582. [PMID: 34451023 PMCID: PMC8402249 DOI: 10.3390/s21165582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In acoustic receiver design, the receiving sensitivity and bandwidth are two primary parameters that determine the performance of a device. The trade-off between sensitivity and bandwidth makes the design very challenging, meaning it needs to be fine-tuned to suit specific applications. The ability to design a PMUT with high receiving sensitivity and a wide bandwidth is crucial to allow a wide spectrum of transmitted frequencies to be efficiently received. This paper presents a novel structure involving a double flexural membrane with a fluidic backing layer based on an in-plane polarization mode to optimize both the receiving sensitivity and frequency bandwidth for medium-range underwater acoustic applications. In this structure, the membrane material and electrode configuration are optimized to produce good receiving sensitivity. Simultaneously, a fluidic backing layer is introduced into the double flexural membrane to increase the bandwidth. Several piezoelectric membrane materials and various electrode dimensions were simulated using finite element analysis (FEA) techniques to study the receiving performance of the proposed structure. The final structure was then fabricated based on the findings from the simulation work. The pulse-echo experimental method was used to characterize and verify the performance of the proposed device. The proposed structure was found to have an improved bandwidth of 56.6% with a receiving sensitivity of -1.8864 dB rel 1 V µPa. For the proposed device, the resonance frequency and center frequency were 600 and 662.5 kHz, respectively, indicating its suitability for the targeted frequency range.
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Liew WH, Ke Q, Tan CY, Chen S, Yao K. Ultrasonic Transducer From Piezoelectric Polymer Multilayer Through Electrophoretic Deposition for Photoacoustic Imaging. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2021; 68:2741-2748. [PMID: 33852386 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2021.3073132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Emerging ultrasound imaging modality based on optical-generated acoustic waves, such as photoacoustic (PA) imaging, has enabled novel functional imaging on biological samples. The performance of the ultrasonic transducer plays a critical role in producing higher quality PA images. However, the high electrical impedance of the small piezoelectric elements in the transducer array causes an electrical mismatch with external circuitry and results in degraded sensitivity. One effective method for reducing the electrical impedance is to implement a piezoelectric multilayer configuration instead of the conventional single layer for the transducer. In this work, we introduced an ultrasonic transducer comprising a piezoelectric polymer multilayer structure produced by an innovative multicycle powder-based electrophoretic deposition, using a suspension of polymer nanoparticles. The multicycle electrophoretic deposition overcomes the redissolution issue in solution-based methods. The ultrasonic transducer comprising the piezoelectric polymer multilayer exhibits significantly enhanced receiving sensitivity as compared to the ultrasonic transducer using a single layer. Ultrasonic transducer with multielement array configuration is obtained using the piezoelectric polymer multilayer, and PA imaging with improved resolution is demonstrated. Theoretical analysis shows that the enhanced transducer performance is mainly attributed to the improved electrical impedance match between the piezoelectric polymer element in the transducer and external receiving circuit.
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Ke Q, Liew WH, Tao H, Wu J, Yao K. KNNS-BNZH Lead-Free 1-3 Piezoelectric Composite for Ultrasonic and Photoacoustic Imaging. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2019; 66:1395-1401. [PMID: 31059433 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2019.2914464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, lead-free 0.965(K0.45Na0.55) (Nb0.96Sb0.04)O3-0.0375Bi0.5Na0.5Zr0.85Hf0.15O3 (KNNS-BNZH)/epoxy 1-3 composite was designed and fabricated with the dice-and-fill method. The composite material exhibited a high thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient ( kt = 0.7 ), high piezoelectric constant ( d33 = 350 pC N-1), relatively low mechanical quality factor ( Qm = 5 ), and relatively low acoustic impedance. An ultrasonic transducer with a center frequency of 5 MHz was produced based on the 1-3 KNNS-BNZH/epoxy composite, showing a broad bandwidth of 80% (-6 dB) and two-way insertion loss of -30 dB. Ultrasonic and photoacoustic images were further demonstrated. The outstanding performance of the 1-3 KNNS-BNZH/epoxy composite transducer competitive to Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 (PZT)-based transducers suggests that the lead-free material can serve as a promising alternative to Pb-based piezoelectric materials for ultrasonic applications.
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Yousry YM, Yao K, Tan X, Mohamed AM, Wang Y, Chen S, Ramakrishna S. Structure and High Performance of Lead-Free (K 0.5Na 0.5)NbO 3 Piezoelectric Nanofibers with Surface-Induced Crystallization at Lowered Temperature. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:23503-23511. [PMID: 31252502 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b05898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Lead-free potassium and sodium niobate (KNN) nanofiber webs with random and aligned configurations were prepared by the electrospinning process from polymer-modified chemical solution. The crystallization process, structure, composition, dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of the nanofibers and nanofiber webs were investigated. Theoretical analysis and experimental results showed that the surface-induced heterogeneous nucleation resulted in the remarkable lower crystallization temperature for the KNN nanofibers with the {100} orientation of the perovskite phase in contrast to the bulk KNN gel and thus well-controlled chemical stoichiometry. Low dielectric loss, large electric polarization, and high piezoelectric performance were obtained in the nanofiber webs. In particular, the aligned nanofiber web exhibited further improved piezoelectric strain and voltage coefficients and higher FOM than their thin film counterparts and is promising for high-performance electromechanical sensor and transducer applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin Mohamed Yousry
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way , Innovis, 138634 , Singapore
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , National University of Singapore , 9 Engineering Drive 1 , 117575 , Singapore
| | - Kui Yao
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way , Innovis, 138634 , Singapore
| | - Xiaoli Tan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering , Iowa State University , Ames , Iowa 50011 , United States
| | - Ayman Mahmoud Mohamed
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way , Innovis, 138634 , Singapore
| | - Yumei Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , National University of Singapore , 9 Engineering Drive 1 , 117575 , Singapore
| | - Shuting Chen
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way , Innovis, 138634 , Singapore
| | - Seeram Ramakrishna
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , National University of Singapore , 9 Engineering Drive 1 , 117575 , Singapore
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