Characterization of Low-Voltage Row-Column Addressed CMUTs for 3D Imaging Applications

One challenge faced by Row-Column Addressed (RCA) Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) arrays is the low driving voltage condition required to develop fully integrated, compact, and power efficient 3D ultrasound imaging devices. In this study, we present a small gap (60 nm) low driving voltage (20 V) 7 MHz RCA CMUT array fabricated on a glass substrate by wafer-bonding. This work aims to show and discuss the electroacoustic and imaging characterization results of a fully integrated and polymer encapsulated RCA CMUT prototype on a dedicated ultrasound imaging device. Using a plane wave imaging sequence and power Doppler, 3D in vivo observation of a finger distal phalanx microvascularization is achieved.