Improving yield and ultrasound performance of thin film piezoelectric sensors

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Novosound is a Scotland-based SME specialising in developing and commercialising ultrasound sensors manufactured using a novel thin film technique instead of a traditional ceramic manufacturing technique. The core of our business is the deposition of our thin film material, which is then used to fabricate our ultrasonic transducers. These products are sold globally to blue-chip customers across energy, aviation, healthcare and wearables.The thin film is manufactured using a reactive sputtering process, allowing the material to be grown efficiently and in a well-controlled manner. The generation of ultrasound relies on the piezoelectric effect, which arises through a tightly controlled crystal structure in the thin film.Understanding how our thin film coating is affected by deposition parameters from a deep material science perspective is critical in increasing the yield of sensors that pass QA and improving the acoustic output of our whole product line. This will greatly benefit the business in terms of commercial revenues and the development of new products and applications in health wearables and medical imaging.In this project, we aim to use the material science and metrology expertise and equipment provided by NPL to truly understand, experimentally, our piezoelectric thin films at the nano and micron scale and the further fabrication and integration of these sensors into our global product offering.This will enable us to continue our mission of pushing the limits of ultrasound in medical, industrial and wearable markets and solve some of the biggest challenges in healthcare and remote monitoring.