An ultrasound sensor includes a frame, wherein the frame includes an outer perimeter, an inner perimeter, and a midsection, wherein the midsection extends across the inner perimeter. The sensor further includes two or more transducer elements, wherein the two or more transducer elements are located within the inner perimeter, and include one or more membranes that include a bottom portion that includes a first piezoelectric layer and second piezoelectric layer, wherein the two or more transducer elements are each separated from the midsection, wherein the two or more transducer elements are configured to each activate a transmit mode and receive mode, wherein the transmit mode is configured to transmit a signal and the receive mode is configured to receive a signal, wherein a first transducer element activates the transmit mode when a second transducer element does not activate the transmit mode.

Multifunctional ultrasound systems and methods for body section registration and mapping of microbubble dynamics. A system is provided that includes one or more micromachined ultrasonic transducer arrays (MUTAs) configured to capture a high-resolution image of at least a portion of a body section using ultrasound and monitor microbubble activity during ultrasound treatment. The system includes an image registration module configured to spatially register the high-resolution image with a reference image. The system includes electronics configured to control one or more of drive signal amplitude, frequency filtering, multiplexing, and DC bias voltage. The system can be configured to control ultrasound treatment based on the monitoring of the microbubble activity during treatment.

Disclosed is a multi-silicon on insulator (SOI) micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT) device. The device comprises a multi-SOI substrate and a MUT. The MUT is affixed to a surface of the multi-SOI substrate. The multi-SOI substrate has a first SOI layer and at least a second SOI layer disposed above the first SOI layer. The first SOI layer and the second SOI layer each comprise an insulating layer and a semiconducting layer. The first SOI layer further defines a cavity located under a membrane of a MUT and one or more trenches at least partially around a perimeter of the cavity.

An ultrasound probe including an active thermal management system is disclosed. The active thermal management system may include a fluid chamber coupled to a transducer assembly of the ultrasound probe. The fluid chamber may include a coolant that may dissipate heat from the transducer assembly. The active thermal management system may further include a heat sink coupled to the fluid chamber and thermal management system. The heat sink may include fins that extend into the coolant. The coolant may be a liquid or a gas. The coolant may be circulated within the fluid chamber by a circulation device. The circulation device may be a pump, a fan, or an impeller. An ultrasound probe may further include a window that forms an enclosure over the lens of the transducer assembly. The enclosure may be fluidly coupled to the fluid chamber and filled with coolant to dissipate heat from the lens.

A pseudo-piezoelectric d33 device includes a nano-gap, and a pair of integral and substantially parallel electrodes having a first sensing electrode and a second sensing electrode. The first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode constitute a receiver. The nano-gap is disposed between the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode. An initial height of the nano-gap is smaller than or equal to 100 nanometers. The nano-gap is formed after a thermal reaction between a semiconductor material and a metal material to form a semiconductor-metal compound. The first sensing electrode of the receiver includes the semiconductor-metal compound to provide an integral capacitive sensing electrode to sense a capacitance change with the second sensing electrode and generate a sensing signal.

An ultrasound imaging device includes a plurality of ultrasound transducers arranged in an array of rows and columns. Each of the transducers has a first electrode and a second electrode. The first electrodes of the transducers of a same row are interconnected and the second electrodes of the transducers of a same column are interconnected.

The present application relates to graphene-based transducing devices, including micromechanical ultrasonic transducers and electret transducers. A micromachined ultrasonic transducer comprising: a backing layer, a spacer layer, and a diaphragm comprising a material selected from the group consisting of graphene, h-BN, MoS2, and combinations thereof, wherein the backing layer comprises a first etched semiconductor, glass, or polymer, wherein the spacer layer comprises a second etched semiconductor, glass, or polymer.

A transducer device may include an active layer having a proximal surface and a backing layer having a distal side and a proximal side, the distal side being adjacent to the proximal surface. The proximal side may include (1) at least one first reflective surface approximately parallel to the proximal surface and positioned a first distance from the proximal surface, and (2) at least one second reflective surface approximately parallel to the proximal surface and positioned a second distance from the proximal surface, the second distance being different than the first distance.

Described herein are methods and systems for testing transducers and associated integrated circuits. In some cases, a method or system described herein can comprise modulating a bias voltage using a test signal in order to produce a modulated bias voltage signal useful in testing a plurality of transducers of a transducer array in parallel.

An ultrasonic transducer includes first and second acoustic transducers and a housing with a bottomed tubular shape. The second acoustic transducer includes an annular section supporting a second membrane section and contacting an entire periphery of the second membrane section, and an acoustic matching plate facing the second membrane section and spaced apart from the second membrane section. The acoustic matching plate is connected to a surrounding wall portion defining a sealed space with the housing. An ultrasonic transmission path sandwiched between the first membrane section and the second membrane section is provided in the sealed space. A maximum inner width of the ultrasonic transmission path is smaller than a maximum inner width of the surrounding wall portion.