A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs)
Ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) usually utilizes conventional bulk piezoelectric transducers as transceivers. However, the complicated preparation and assembly process of bulk piezoelectric ceramics limits the development of NDT probes toward miniaturization and high frequency. In this paper...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-02-01
|
| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/3/306 |
| _version_ | 1827305558613426176 |
|---|---|
| author | Jiawei Yin Zhixin Zhou Liang Lou |
| author_facet | Jiawei Yin Zhixin Zhou Liang Lou |
| author_sort | Jiawei Yin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) usually utilizes conventional bulk piezoelectric transducers as transceivers. However, the complicated preparation and assembly process of bulk piezoelectric ceramics limits the development of NDT probes toward miniaturization and high frequency. In this paper, a 4.4 mm × 4.4 mm aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) array is designed, fabricated, characterized, and packaged for ultrasonic pulse–echo NDT of solids for the first time. The PMUT array is prepared based on the cavity silicon-on-insulator (CSOI) process and packaged using polyurethane (PU) material with acoustic properties similar to water. The fabricated PMUT array resonates at 2.183 MHz in air and at around 1.25 MHz after PU encapsulation. The bandwidth of the packaged PMUT receiver (244 kHz) is wider than that of a bulk piezoelectric transducer (179 kHz), which is good for axis resolution improvement. In this work, a hybrid ultrasonic NDT probe is designed using two packaged PMUT receivers and one 1.25 MHz bulk transmitter. The bulk transmitter radiates an ultrasonic wave into the sample, and the defect echo is received by two PMUT receivers. The 2D position of the defect could be figured out by time-of-flight (TOF) difference, and a 30 mm × 65 mm detection area is acquired. This work demonstrates the feasibility of applying AlN PMUTs to ultrasonic NDT of solids and paves the way toward a miniaturized NDT probe using AlN PMUT technology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:00:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-281db93c625941678fcf3763a73b1e70 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:00:10Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-281db93c625941678fcf3763a73b1e702024-03-27T13:54:58ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2024-02-0115330610.3390/mi15030306A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs)Jiawei Yin0Zhixin Zhou1Liang Lou2School of Microelectronics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, ChinaSchool of Microelectronics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, ChinaSchool of Microelectronics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, ChinaUltrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) usually utilizes conventional bulk piezoelectric transducers as transceivers. However, the complicated preparation and assembly process of bulk piezoelectric ceramics limits the development of NDT probes toward miniaturization and high frequency. In this paper, a 4.4 mm × 4.4 mm aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) array is designed, fabricated, characterized, and packaged for ultrasonic pulse–echo NDT of solids for the first time. The PMUT array is prepared based on the cavity silicon-on-insulator (CSOI) process and packaged using polyurethane (PU) material with acoustic properties similar to water. The fabricated PMUT array resonates at 2.183 MHz in air and at around 1.25 MHz after PU encapsulation. The bandwidth of the packaged PMUT receiver (244 kHz) is wider than that of a bulk piezoelectric transducer (179 kHz), which is good for axis resolution improvement. In this work, a hybrid ultrasonic NDT probe is designed using two packaged PMUT receivers and one 1.25 MHz bulk transmitter. The bulk transmitter radiates an ultrasonic wave into the sample, and the defect echo is received by two PMUT receivers. The 2D position of the defect could be figured out by time-of-flight (TOF) difference, and a 30 mm × 65 mm detection area is acquired. This work demonstrates the feasibility of applying AlN PMUTs to ultrasonic NDT of solids and paves the way toward a miniaturized NDT probe using AlN PMUT technology.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/3/306ultrasonic nondestructive testingpiezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducerstime of flightbandwidth |
| spellingShingle | Jiawei Yin Zhixin Zhou Liang Lou A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs) Micromachines ultrasonic nondestructive testing piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers time of flight bandwidth |
| title | A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs) |
| title_full | A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs) |
| title_fullStr | A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs) |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs) |
| title_short | A Novel Nondestructive Testing Probe Using AlN-Based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (PMUTs) |
| title_sort | novel nondestructive testing probe using aln based piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers pmuts |
| topic | ultrasonic nondestructive testing piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers time of flight bandwidth |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/3/306 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jiaweiyin anovelnondestructivetestingprobeusingalnbasedpiezoelectricmicromachinedultrasonictransducerspmuts AT zhixinzhou anovelnondestructivetestingprobeusingalnbasedpiezoelectricmicromachinedultrasonictransducerspmuts AT lianglou anovelnondestructivetestingprobeusingalnbasedpiezoelectricmicromachinedultrasonictransducerspmuts AT jiaweiyin novelnondestructivetestingprobeusingalnbasedpiezoelectricmicromachinedultrasonictransducerspmuts AT zhixinzhou novelnondestructivetestingprobeusingalnbasedpiezoelectricmicromachinedultrasonictransducerspmuts AT lianglou novelnondestructivetestingprobeusingalnbasedpiezoelectricmicromachinedultrasonictransducerspmuts |