2004 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium

MEDICAL IMAGING WITH CAPACITIVE

MICROMACHINED ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER
(CMUT) ARRAYS
David M. Mills
General Electric Global Research
Niskayuna, NY 12309
applications based on silicon nitride membranes as a
revolutionary method of fabricating efficient ultrasound
transducers with a broad frequency response [4]. More
recently, Ergun, Huang, and Khuri-Yakub et al. introduced
bulk micromachined cMUT technology based on a simpler
wafer bonding approach with silicon membranes [5, 6]. This
paper presents the application of cMUT technology to medical
ultrasound imaging and shows preliminary results and images
made using this technology. The hypothesis of this paper is
that cMUTs can be used to simplify transducer array
fabrication while yielding improved performance over existing
medical ultrasound transducer technology. Current challenges
for this technology include reliability, cross-talk between
independent elements, packaging, and spectral notches.

Abstract In recent years, several groups have shown images

made with capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers
(cMUTs). This new transducer technology has emerged as a
leading research area because these devices are non-resonant
and can be integrated together with signal processing electronics.
We will review real time imaging performed with early silicon
nitride devices. Then, we will present new results from a wafer
bonded cMUT probe produced and tested in our lab. These
wafer bonded cMUTs show a fractional bandwidth of 130%
(3-13 MHz), that covers almost the entire frequency range of
interest for medical ultrasound. Further discussion will outline
some of the challenges involved and potential solutions for
integrating cMUT arrays with medical imagers. A review of
some of the models from the literature will also be given as a
means to optimizing the cMUT design and impedance matching.

I.

As in the configuration of a parallel plate capacitor, cMUTs

consist of electrodes (one of which can be a heavily doped
substrate) above and below a gap, that contains a dielectric
material such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, or vacuum.
More detail about the structure and fabrication of a cMUT will
be given below. Varying the electrical signal applied to these
electrodes, causes the membrane to deflect due to electrostatic
forces, which in turn generate acoustic waves. Conversely,
incident acoustic waves deflect the membrane varying the
capacitance between the electrodes, which can be detected
electrically. Since electrostatic forces are only attractive, a DC
bias, that is larger than half of the peak-to-peak amplitude of
the excitation signal, must be applied to the cMUT. Without
the bias, the cMUT would effectively rectify the excitation
signal and generate an acoustic wave at twice the excitation
frequency in transmit mode. In receive mode, the sensitivity of
the cMUT to impinging acoustic waves would be dramatically
reduced in the absence of the bias. Increasing the bias voltage
will eventually result in the electrostatic force overwhelming
the membrane restoring force and the membrane will collapse
onto the substrate. This voltage is called the collapse voltage
[4].

INTRODUCTION

Medical ultrasound transducer technology has remained

largely unchanged for the last 50 years. Late in the 1940s,
ceramic resonators based on barium titanate were developed as
high-permittivity ceramics that exhibited a piezoelectric effect.
Then, in the 1950s lead based ceramics began to replace
barium titanate in ultrasonic wave generation and reception
applications [1]. Inherent to both piezoceramics was the need
to attach front matching and backing layers to improve the
acoustic match to tissue and decrease the ringdown time of the
transducer impulse response. Otherwise, they would have a
very high Q narrowband response and would ring for many
cycles after electrical excitation. A compact impulse response
is essential to obtain good axial resolution, which is necessary
to resolve the targets of interest in tissue.
Further shortening the impulse response of transducers by
broadening the frequency response, will lead to both improved
resolution in images and a broader operating range for a
particular device. Recent research in the areas of composites,
single crystal transducers, and capacitive micromachined
ultrasound transducers (cMUTs) have focused on exactly this
feature. Electrostatic transducers, similar to cMUTs, were first
used in condenser microphones that were designed as early as
1917 by Wente [2]. Hunt details the design and analysis of
electrostatic transducers for flat, uniform frequency response
[3]. In 1996, Ladabaum and Khuri-Yakub, et. al. introduced
surface micromachined cMUT technology for immersion

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A. Modeling cMUTs
Fig. 1 is a two port equivalent circuit model shown by the
Khuri-Yakub research group at Stanford University to assist in
designing a cMUT for a particular application. The derivations
of the following equations are given in Hunt [3], Ladabaum [4],
and Mason [7]. Note that Zs is the electrical impedance of the

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rm k 1 k 2 ( jk 2 J 0 (k 1 rm ) I 1 ( jk 2 rm ) + k 1 J 1 ( k 1 rm ) I 0 ( jk 2 rm ) )
Z m = j t m

2
2
rm k 1 k 2 ( jk 2 J 0 (k 1 rm ) I 1 ( jk 2 rm ) + k 1 J 1 ( k 1 rm ) I 0 ( jk 2 rm ) ) j 2 k 1 + k 2 (J 1 (k 1 rm ) I 1 ( jk 2 rm ) )

1:n

Zs

ZmA

d=
ZaA

C0

(1)

(7)

where Y0 is the Youngs modulus of the membrane, T is the

lateral tension of the membrane, is the density of the
membrane, and is the Poissons ratio of the membrane.

Figure 1. Two-port equivalent circuit for a cMUT. The port on the left is the
electric port (connected to the system) and the port on the right is the acoustic
port (placed on the body).

In contrast to ceramic and single crystal piezoelectrics, the

resonance of immersion cMUTs is completely damped by the
mechanical loading of the much larger radiation impedance Za.
Thus, the membrane impedance can be neglected to simplify
the equivalent circuit as shown in Fig. 2.

source and ZaA is the radiation impedance on the surface of the

cMUT. The effective capacitance of the membrane is

Zs
C0 =

0 m A
0tm + mta

(2)

C0

where 0 is the dielectric constant of free space, m is the

dielectric constant of the membrane, A is the electrode surface
area of a single cell, tm is the thickness of the membrane, ta is
the thickness of the air gap under biasing conditions. The
effective turns ratio of the transformer is

n=

VDC 0 2m A

( 0 t m + m t a )2

Figure 2. Simplified equivalent circuit for immersion cMUTs, neglecting the

membrane impedance when Za>>Zm.

An additional means for modeling cMUTs is by using FEM

tools, such as PZFlex (Weidlinger Assoc.; Los Altos, CA),
ANSYS (ANSYS, Inc.; Cannonsburg, PA), or LS-DYNA
(Livermore Software Technology Corp; Livermore, CA).

(3)

B. Typical dimensions and Impedance Matching

As discussed in the literature, the dimensions for cMUT
cells can range from 10-750 microns in width with a gap
between the electrodes of less than a micron up to 12 microns.
The membrane thickness can also vary from less than a micron
to perhaps as high as 10 microns in some designs [4, 5, 6]. For
typical immersion cMUTs, the spacing between the electrodes
is effectively ~100X-200X smaller than the thickness of PZT
type transducers, however the dielectric constant for cMUTs is
~1000X lower than in PZT. Thus, the capacitance of a cMUT
array element is significantly smaller and the impedance much
larger than PZT elements. This reduces SNR and must be
corrected to obtain the depth of penetration currently attained
with PZT arrays.

where VDC is the DC bias voltage. The specific acoustic

impedance of the membrane is: (see equation 1), where is
radian frequency, r is the density of the membrane, rm is
membrane radius, Jx and Ix are Bessel functions. The other
parameters are defined as

k1 =

d 2 + 4 c 2 d
2c

k2 = j

d 2 + 4c2 + d
2c

c=

(Y0 + T ) t m2

12 1 2

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ZaA/n2

(4)

One method for improving the impedance match between

an ultrasound system and a cMUT array is to tune the elements
with passive components such as inductors, capacitors, and
resistors. These could be placed in the probe handle, probe
connector, and/or the ultrasound system depending on the
topology of the particular tuning circuit that is selected.
Typically this type of tuning would impact both transmit and
receive and can be relatively small in volume and low cost.
Transformers, in the probe handle, could also be used to
improve the impedance match for both transmit and receive

(5)

(6)

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micro-machined cMUT die based on these specifications.
Similarly, bulk micro-machined cMUTs were fabricated with
the assistance of Stanford University. The cMUTs were then
sent to GE Global Research for interconnect, assembly into
probes, and acoustic testing. To connect to each element of the
cMUT array, metal traces were patterned onto a sheet of
polyimide film to create a flexible interconnect circuit, or high
density interconnect (HDI) flex. This flex was attached to the
cMUT array, as shown in Fig. 3, and to a coaxial cable bundle
via biasing electronics, which could then be connected to a test
rack or ultrasound imaging system. An acoustic lens and
matched backing were also applied to the array for improved
patient isolation and imaging performance.

[8]. However, transformers tend to be quite large, can saturate

in transmit, and can be quite costly. Active electronics, such as
pre-amplifiers, can also be used to alleviate the SNR problem.
In order to minimize the parasitic capacitance between the
cMUT and the pre-amp, these components would be placed in
the probe handle and would only help in receive. Active
electronics can be costly, large (depending on the level of
integration), and generate heat in the probe handle.
C. Operating Modes
Two modes of operation have been described for cMUTs.
The first has been labeled conventional mode and is the mode
where a DC bias less than the collapse voltage of the
membrane is applied to the cMUT. In this mode, the
membrane does not touch any part of the substrate, except on
the perimeter where it is fixed to the support structure. The
second mode of operation, collapse mode, was recently
introduced by Bayram et. al. [9]. For this mode of operation,
the center of the membrane is intentionally made to contact the
substrate by applying a voltage in excess of the collapse
voltage. Then, when an excitation signal is applied to the
cMUT, the center and perimeter of the membrane remain fixed
on the substrate while the remainder of the membrane is free to
move. As discussed in the literature, this mode has the
potential to be more sensitive, transmit higher acoustic power,
be more stable due to a more gradual slope in the
electromechanical coupling, and is higher in frequency than the
conventional mode.
II.

METHODS
Figure 3. cMUT array with flexible interconnect circuit.

A. Fabrication of cMUTs
Fabrication methods for cMUTs are described in detail in
the literature and briefly below for reference. Results from
both surface and bulk micro-machined cMUTs are shown in
this paper, but it is not the intent of the author to make a
comparison between the two methods. At this point, both
processes seem viable and should be investigated further. A
cMUT generally consists of a silicon substrate with a
membrane, typically silicon or silicon nitride, over a vacuum
gap. In the case of surface micro-machined cMUTs, sacrificial
oxide layer and nitride membrane are first applied to the
substrate wafer. Next, etch holes are opened in the wafer in the
desired locations by e-beam lithography. The sacrificial oxide
is then etched away and the holes are plugged. Metal and
passivation can then be applied to the top surface of the wafer
and patterned as desired. [4]

B. Probe assembly and testing

Probe assembly was critical so that live human subjects
could be scanned to demonstrate the ability to form anatomical
images using this transducer technology. Considerations were
given to patient safety, ease of scanning by the operator of the
probe, and access to the patient, considering the anatomy where
these types of probes are commonly used, such as on the neck.
Once the probe was assembled, Fig. 4, the integrity of the

In the case of bulk micro-machined cMUTs, the starting

materials are a substrate and an SOI wafer with the appropriate
thickness of silicon for the membrane. Thermal oxide is grown
on the substrate wafer that is patterned for the cMUT cavities.
Then, the SOI wafer and pattern substrate wafer are fusion
bonded. After which, the substrate and box (oxide) layer
portions of the SOI wafer are removed and metal and
passivation can be applied and patterned as desired. [5, 6]
In order to demonstrate the use of cMUTs for medical
imaging, array geometries for high frequency linear arrays
were determined. Sensant Corporation fabricated surface

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Figure 4. Assembled cMUT probe showing the ergonomic handle, cable, and
system connector.

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have bandwidths between 70-80%. The loop gain of the
imaging cMUT array was about -10 dB relative to the PZT
array in the configuration measured in our watertank. Note
also the short pulse length shown in Fig. 6. The sensitivity
variation across a cMUT array is shown in Fig. 7.

electrical isolation was tested using two electrical methods.

First, AC line voltage (120 Vrms) was applied to all conductors
inside the array handle and the sealed face was submerged in
5% saline solution which was grounded. The leakage current
was measured and could not be greater than 50 micro-amps
(AC rms). Next, a high-potential (hi-pot) test was performed in
a similar fashion, where the peak applied voltage was 1500
VACrms and the current could not exceed 100 micro-amps
(AC rms). At this high voltage, any potential conduction path,
such as an air bubble in the dielectric coating, would arc and
cause a test failure.
Acoustic testing of these devices included pulse-echo
testing in a water tank to demonstrate the hypothesized
broadband response. The water tank contained de-ionized
water and a flat plate reflector (glass) that was placed beneath
the transducer face. As shown in Fig. 5, a 5-axis positioning
system was used to position the cMUT array above the target
so that the target was at or near the lens focus. A DC power
supply biased all of the cMUT elements to 100-200 volts for
the surface micro-machined cMUTs which was typically
between 75 and 90% of membrane collapse voltage. For the
bulk micro-machined cMUTs, the bias voltage ranged between
40-100 volts, which allowed conventional and collapse mode
operation. To measure the pulse-echo response, a broadband
pulser/receiver was connected to the individual elements of the
transducer array. After amplification, a LeCroy LC334A
oscilloscope digitized the returned echo, that was subsequently
stored on a computer.

Figure 6. Experimental pulse-echo response in water of a representative

cMUT element.

Figure 5. Acoustic testing setup showing the water tank, 5-axis positioning
system, and cMUT array with biasing electronics.

III.

RESULTS

A. Surface micro-machined cMUTs

Pulse echo results for surface micro-machined cMUTs are
shown first in Fig. 6, including the transient response,
spectrum, and pulse-shape. As measured in the water tank, this
cMUT array had a -6 dB bandwidth of 110%, which is much
greater than piezoelectric ceramic based probes that typically

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Figure 7. Sensitivity variation across a cMUT array.

Real-time, in-vivo images of a carotid artery were made

using PZT and cMUT arrays as shown in Figures 8 (short-axis)
and 9 (long-axis). Improved axial resolution yielded slightly
finer texture in the thyroid gland as seen in Fig. 8, while

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slightly better defined intimal lining is visible in the cMUT
image of Fig. 9. Shallower penetration is also evident from
these images as seen in both figures, which shows the lower
sensitivity for the cMUT array.

within 2 dB of the mean. Fig. 12 shows the uniformity as a

function of element is quite good for the working elements of
this array.

Figure 8. Short-axis view of the carotid artery and thyroid gland from a PZT
array (left) and a cMUT array (right).

Figure 10. Experimental pulse-echo response in water of a representative bulk

micromachined cMUT element operated in conventional mode.

Figure 9. Long-axis view of the carotid artery from a PZT array (left) and a
cMUT array (right).

B. Bulk micro-machined cMUTs

Pulse echo results for bulk micro-machined cMUTs
operating in conventional mode are shown in Fig. 10, including
the transient response, spectrum, and pulse-shape. Many of the
elements on this array were not active, which was attributed to
poor interconnect. As measured in the water tank, this cMUT
array had an average -6 dB bandwidth of 132% for the active
elements, which is much greater than typical piezoelectric
ceramic based probes. This bandwidth ranged from 3-13 MHz,
which encompasses almost the entire frequency range currently
in use for medical ultrasound imaging. The loop gain of this
cMUT array was about -18 dB relative to the PZT array in the
configuration measured in our watertank. Note also the short
pulse length shown in Fig. 10. The sensitivity variation across
a cMUT array is shown in Fig. 11. Most of the elements were

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Mean
2dB

Figure 11. Sensitivity variation across a bulk micromachined cMUT array

operated in conventional mode.

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Note also the short pulse length shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 14
shows that the sensitivity of almost all (187 out of 191) of the
elements of the array are withing 2 dB of the mean. Also, the
uniformity of the bandwidth vs. element number, Fig. 15, is
also quite good for this array.

Mean
2dB
Figure 12. Bandwidth variation across a bulk micromachined cMUT array
operated in conventional mode.

Pulse echo results for a different bulk micro-machined

cMUT array operating in collapse mode are shown in Fig. 13,
including the transient response, spectrum, and pulse-shape.
As measured in the water tank, this cMUT array had an
average -6 dB bandwidth of 87% in collapse mode, which is
slightly greater than piezoelectric ceramic based probes. The
loop gain of this cMUT array was about -19 dB relative to the
PZT array in the configuration measured in our watertank.

Figure 14. Sensitivity variation across a bulk micromachined cMUT array

operated in collapse mode.

Figure 13. Experimental pulse-echo response in water of a representative bulk

micromachined cMUT element operated in collapse mode.

Figure 15. Bandwidth variation across a bulk micromachined cMUT array

operated in collapse mode.

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and Goksen Yaralioglu for their help with designing and
fabricating bulk micromachined cMUT arrays.

Real-time, in-vivo images of a carotid artery were made

using PZT and cMUT arrays as shown in Figure 16. Improved
axial resolution yielded significantly finer texture in the thyroid
gland and finer anatomical boarder definition. Shallower
penetration for the cMUT image is also evident, which shows
the lower sensitivity of the cMUT array.
IV.

REFERENCES
[1]

J. Moulson and J. M. Herbert, Electroceramics, New York: Chapman &

Hall, 1990, pp. 3, 276, & 285.
[2] E. C. Wente, The Sensitivity and Precision of the Electrostatic
Transmitter for Measuring Sound Intensities, Phys. Rev. 19, 498-503,
May 1922.
[3] F. V. Hunt, Electroacoustics, 2nd ed. New York: American Institute of
Physics, 1982.
[4] I. Ladabaum, X. Jin, H. T. Soh, F. Pierre, A. Atalar, and B. T. KhuriYakub, Microfabricated ultrasonic transducers: towards robust models
and immersion devices, in Proceedings of the 1996 IEEE Ultrasonics
Symposium, pp. 335 -338.
[5] A. S. Ergun, Y. Huang; C. H. Cheng; O. Oralkan, J. Johnson, H.
Jagannathan, U. Dernirci, G. G. Yaralioglu, M. Karaman, B. T. KhuriYakub, Broadband capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers
ranging from 10 kHz to 60 MHz for imaging arrays and more, in
Proceedings of the 2002 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, pp. 1039 1043.
[6] Y. Huang, A. S. Ergun, E. Hggstrm, M. H. Badi, and B. T. KhuriYakub, Fabricating Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers
with Wafer-Bonding Technology, J. Microelectromech. Syst., vol. 12,
no. 2, pp. 128-137, Apr. 2003.
[7] W. P. Mason, Electromechanical Transducers and Wave Filters. New
York: Van Nostrand, 1942.
[8] C. S. DeSilets, J. D. Fraser, and G. S. Kino, The design of efficient
broad-band piezoelectric transducers, IEEE Trans. Sonics and
Ultrasonics, vol. SU-25 (3), May 1978.
[9] B. Bayram, E. Hggstrm, G.G. Yaralioglu, and B. T. Khuri-Yakub, A
new regime for operating capacitive micromachined ultrasonic
transducers, IEEE Trans. Ultrason., Ferroelect. Freq. Contr., vol. 50,
no. 9, pp. 1184-1190, Sept. 2003.
[10] I. Ladabaum, X. Jin, H. T. Soh, A. Atalar, and B. T. Khuri-Yakub,
Surface micromachined capacitive ultrasonic transducers, IEEE Trans.
Ultrason., Ferroelect. Freq. Contr., vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 678-690, May
1998.

DISCUSSION

Medical ultrasound images from both surface and bulk

micromachined cMUT arrays have been shown in this paper.
Surface micromachined arrays showed imaging performance
that was slightly better than PZT in resolution and bandwidth,
but not as good in depth of penetration. The first ever real-time
in-vivo images from collapse mode cMUTs were shown from
the bulk micromachined array and showed evidence of
improved resolution and bandwidth but again, less depth of
penetration. CMUTs are showing real potential in terms of
improved axial resolution and extremely broad bandwidth
operation. Improved axial resolution will allow for smaller
targets to be resolved in tissue for such applications as imaging
micro-calcifications in the breast, small abnormalities in the
thyroid, or better delineation of the intimal linings of blood
vessels to search for plaque build-up. Once the sensitivity of
cMUT arrays has been improved by proper impedance
matching, the required depth of penetration for a wide array of
applications should be possible.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author thanks Scott Smith, Warren Lee, Wei-Cheng
Tian, and all the other GE colleagues who helped with this
project in various ways. Also the author thanks the Sensant
Corporation employees who contributed to the design and
fabrication of the surface micromachined cMUT arrays used in
this work. Thanks also to Pierre Khuri-Yakub, A. Sanli Ergun

Figure 16.

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Short-axis view of the carotid artery and thyroid gland from a PZT array (left) and a
bulk micromachined cMUT array operated in collapse mode. (right).

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