How does it work?
cMUT (capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer) and pMUT (miniaturized piezoelectric, micromachined ultrasound transducers) sensors are miniaturized, low-cost ultrasound transmitters/receivers capable of operating across several frequencies. Their microscopic membranes vibrate between 1 and 30 MHZ to create an ultrasonic wave which travels through a liquid and reflects back from the biological object to be analyzed.
Advantages?
cMUT and pMUT ultrasound sensors are ideal replacements for the solid, ceramic ultrasonic transducers used today. They are much smaller and can be co-integrated with electronic circuits to miniaturize the complete system. They also operate over a wider band of frequency, resulting in higher-resolution images.
Last but not least, they are inexpensive to mass produce as they are manufactured on silicon using standard processes. This innovation is protected by 11 patents.
Our research areas:
- Flexible sensors
- Signal processing
- Biocompatible packaging
Applications?
- High-resolution ultrasound
- Blood pressure measurement via patches or wearable devices
- Neural stimulation for therapeutic purposes
With these miniaturized ultrasound sensors, we can imagine greatly improved patient monitoring and management thanks to a patch-sized ultrasonic probe.”
Bruno Fain, research engineer at CEA-Leti