Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

We are developing a new type of biomedical ultrasound transducer technology based on state-of-the-art microfabrication technology. These transducers are essentially miniature membranes fabricated on a silicon wafer which can vibrate to produce ultrasound or may be used to detect ultrasound signals. Compared to traditional piezoelectric materials, typically used in medical ultrasound systems, microfabricated ultrasound trasnducers offer unique performance advantages, and promise miniaturization to the point of implementing an ultrasound imaging system on a chip. Present barriers preventing commercialization could be device reliability and safety for patients since high voltages are sometimes needed to drive their operation. Our research aims to directly address these issues. Our current feasibility data demonstrates promising performance couple with an electrically-safe design. We aim to expand our present research to further improve device reliability and performance.