(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008)
Degertekin, F. Levent
Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs) have a great potential for implementing miniature arrays for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging. The Degertekin laboratory has recently developed cMUT manufacturing processes which enable post-CMOS fabrication of cMUT arrays for electronics integration. The purpose of this research proposal is to develop forward looking cMUT IVUS arrays and associated electronics for operation in the 10-50MHz range, and investigate the feasibility of integration of high performance cMUTs with CMOS electronics on a single silicon chip for the first time. If successful, this project will lead to low-cost forward looking IVUS imaging devices with high imaging performance and enable numerous diagnosis and therapeutic applications of IVUS.