Title
Evaluating the Influence of PMUT Mechanical Support Properties on Power Conversion Efficiency in Ultrasonically Powered Implants
Author
Savoia, Alessandro S. (University of Roma Tre)
Giustiniano, Domenico (STMicroelectronics)
Prelini, Carlo (STMicroelectronics)
Saccher, M. (TU Delft Electronic Components, Technology and Materials) 
Rashidi, A. (TU Delft Bio-Electronics)
Leotti, Alberto (STMicroelectronics)
Giagka, Vasiliki (TU Delft Bio-Electronics; Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM)
Ferrera, Marco (STMicroelectronics)
Date
2023
Abstract
Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (MUTs) are being explored as power converters in wirelessly powered biomedical implants. This paper investigates the role of mechanical support properties in piezoelectric MUTs (PMUTs) on their power conversion efficiency. For this purpose, a finite element model (FEM) of a PMUT array was developed and integrated with an equivalent circuit model (ECM). The study considered different mechanical support scenarios, from rigidly clamped to completely free. These were numerically analyzed and validated by impedance measurements and acoustic power transfer experiments on PMUT prototypes. The results show that reducing the mass of the mechanical support increases the Q factor, leading to a significant improvement in power conversion efficiency, with an efficiency increase factor of 5.6x from the clamped to the free case. This approach can potentially enhance overall power conversion efficiency, reduce the need for matching networks, and enable miniaturization in ultrasonically powered implants.
Subject
PMUT
Ultrasonic MEMS
PZT
Ultrasonic Powering
Biomedical Implants
Power Transfer
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:9becec09-6558-4bc3-b514-68e6e957aab1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/IUS51837.2023.10306762
Publisher
IEEE, Piscataway
Embargo date
2024-05-07
ISBN
979-8-3503-4646-6
Source
Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS)
Event
2023 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS), 2023-09-03 → 2023-09-08, Montreal, Canada
Bibliographical note
Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.
Part of collection
Institutional Repository
Document type
conference paper
Rights
© 2023 Alessandro S. Savoia, Domenico Giustiniano, Carlo Prelini, M. Saccher, A. Rashidi, Alberto Leotti, Vasiliki Giagka, Marco Ferrera