Ultrasound transducers for flexible, large-area and low-cost health applications
A new generation of PMUT-based technology promises to revolutionize health imaging with products that are large-area, flexible, lightweight, and cost-effective.
Ultrasound imaging is a non-invasive, safe and widely used technique to visualize abdominal organs, monitor pregnancies, and guide medical procedures such as biopsies and needle placement.
It’s based on transducers that emit high-frequency sound waves into the body, which travel through tissues and reflect from structures such as organs or bones. The reflected waves are then detected by the same transducers and converted into electrical signals, which are further processed to create real-time images.
Traditional piezo-ceramic transducers are bulky and have complex wiring schemes which hinders their use in advanced, high-density imaging systems. Imec innovates PMUTs (piezoelectric MEMS ultrasound transducers) in two ways: by introducing a new membrane material, and by enabling integration with thin-film transistors on large-area foils.
Piezoelectric MEMS ultrasound transducers
Imec developed a MEMS-based ultrasound transducer based on piezoelectric materials. Piezoelectric MEMS ultrasound transducers (PMUT) outperform bulk PZT and CMUT as it combines the scalability of semiconductors with acoustic performance.
Imec’s PMUT technology enables large-area, flexible, lightweight, and cost-effective health imaging applications.
Imec's PMUT technology outperforms existing solutions in terms of:
- manufacturability in large arrays
- low cost
- flexible geometries
- easy integration
- increased bandwidth
- reduced voltage requirements
PMUT enables disruptive applications
As this innovative ultrasound transducer enables pliable, larger areas and lower cost, it enables a whole new realm of applications.
- Non-invasive continuous monitoring: compact & single usage (per patient). Possible applications in cardiology, gynecology, obstetrics, and urology
- Ultrasound tomography and combined-modality imaging: large field of view & perfect fit for body contours
- Therapeutic ultrasound: large-aperture delivery & very-large area potential. Applications like brain stimulation or targeted delivery of pharmaceuticals are on the horizon here.
An important advantage of large-area PMUT applications is that they enables operator-free medical imaging because no manipulation is needed to target the object of interest, even if it’s a complete organ or – in the case of pregnancy monitoring – a uterus.
Cardiac ultrasound monitoring, by Pulsify Medical
Imec’s PMUT-technology is being utilized by Pulsify Medical to enable continuous non-invasive monitoring of cardiac performance in cardiac and critically ill patients, e.g. suffering septic shock in intensive care.
The ultrasound monitoring patch allows physicians in acute and critical care to get a continuous view on the patients’ cardiac performance for better treatment planning and therapy adjustment.
The large-area cardiac patch uses continuous and accurate ultrasound measurements and smart algorithms to derive cardiac output and other relevant cardiac parameters.
Working with us?
Are you interested in our innovative PMUT technology? Share your questions with us and let’s discuss how to turn your idea into a manufacturable product.
We offer tailored ultrasound transducer solutions, designed to meet your unique application through collaborative, on-demand projects.