Efficient strategy for frequency design and bandwidth extension of curved piezoelectric ultrasonic micromachined transducers

This article proposes an efficient analytical model and strategy for designing curved piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (curved PMUTs). The model is developed based on the Donnell–Mushtari–Vlasov theory and the equivalent single layer method, and validated through finite element analysis. Utilizing the model, we further analyze the diaphragm’s vibration modes and key design parameters. The proposed strategy is centered on 2 design equations, facilitating the rapid design of devices at any frequency through parametric sweeps. Furthermore, to minimize bandwidth loss, we employ the merging of adjacent vibration modes to broaden the bandwidth. Using the proposed method for modes merging, we have effortlessly designed devices with operating frequencies of 2.15 MHz, 6.3 MHz, 10.65 MHz, and 18.75 MHz in water. For comparison, we also designed planar PMUTs and general curved PMUTs operating around 6 MHz and 15 MHz. Compared to planar PMUTs, curved PMUTs show exceptional performance improvements in output pressure and sensitivity. Moreover, the proposed strategy for bandwidth extension results in 1.33× and 1.25× bandwidth improvements around 6 MHz and 15 MHz. The proposed design methodology is anticipated to assist engineers in designing high-performance PMUT arrays more efficiently and systematically.