Miniaturisation session December 2, 2021
December 2, 11:15-13:00

Abstract title

CMUT: new technology platform for medical ultrasound
Rob van Schaijk PhD, Philips MEMS & Micro Devices, High Tech Campus, Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Abstract

Capacitive Micro-machined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUT) enable smaller form factors, larger arrays, larger bandwidths, and integration with driver circuitry for new medical ultrasound applications. The current technology based on piezo-electric crystals will be more and more unable to meet these requirements. Philips developed a CMUT platform, which requires a relative low number of mask steps and gives the freedom to design multi-purpose transducers due to its flexibility in frequency. This platform technology is well suited and optimized for medical applications, ranging from general probes to integration in catheters. For general probes, it leverages main MUT advantages of high-volume manufacturing, low cost and high performance leading towards ubiquitous ultrasound. For the catheter-based devices, CMUT in combination with flexible interconnect technology also adds high levels of integration and miniaturization. In this presentation, an overview of CMUT devices and market perspectives will be given. In addition, the state of the art and new developments of CMUT technology and its use in several medical applications will be shown.

Biography

Rob van Schaijk joined Philips in 2017, in the MEMS & Micro Devices department as principal architect. His main responsibility is MEMS process development in the Philips MEMS foundry with a focus on CMUT technology. With 20 years of experience in semiconductors, MEMS and IC technology in different positions, from senior scientist to R&D manager. Before joining Philips, he has been with Philips Research, Philips Semiconductors, NXP semiconductors and Imec on topics in silicon processing, energy harvesting and sensors for use in wireless sensor nodes. He obtained a master’s degree in applied physics from the technical university of Eindhoven in 1995 and a PhD from the University of Amsterdam in 1999 in semiconductor physics.