A low-voltage-driven MEMS ultrasonic phased-array transducer for fast 3D volumetric imaging

Wearable ultrasound imaging technology has become an emerging modality for the continuous monitoring of deep-tissue physiology, providing crucial health and disease information. Fast volumetric imaging that can provide a full spatiotemporal view of intrinsic 3D targets is desirable for interpreting internal organ dynamics. However, existing 1D ultrasound transducer arrays provide 2D images, making it challenging to overcome the trade-off between the temporal resolution and volumetric coverage. In addition, the high driving voltage limits their implementation in wearable settings. With the use of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology, we report an ultrasonic phased-array transducer, i.e., a 2D piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (pMUT) array, which is driven by a low voltage and is chip-compatible for fast 3D volumetric imaging. By grouping multiple pMUT cells into one single drive channel/element, we propose an innovative cell–element–array design and operation of a pMUT array that can be used to quantitatively characterize the key coupling effects between each pMUT cell, allowing 3D imaging with 5-V actuation. The pMUT array demonstrates fast volumetric imaging covering a range of 40 mm × 40 mm × 70 mm in wire phantom and vascular phantom experiments, achieving a high temporal frame rate of 11 kHz. The proposed solution offers a full volumetric view of deep-tissue disorders in a fast manner, paving the way for long-term wearable imaging technology for various organs in deep tissues.