Compact non-invasive ultrasonic flow and wind speed sensors based on micromachined ultrasonic transducers compatible with above-IC integration

从历史上看，流量传感器一直是广泛的工业和医疗应用中的主力。然而，它们通常相对较大，这限制了部署，或者，如果是微机械加工，它们通常依赖于迫使侵入性操作的热效应，这限制了兼容应用的数量。超声流量传感器可以弥补后一种缺陷，而电容式微机械超声换能器(CMUT)可以使其更紧凑，缓解前一种缺陷。工业合作伙伴MEMS-Vision希望开始一项研究工作，以扩展其定制的MEMS与IC以上兼容的制造工艺，以制造此类传感器。MEMS-Vision致力于打造最紧凑的传感系统，包括传感器和集成电路。它寻求纳布基教授的专业知识，以协调这项研究工作。纳布基教授的经验涵盖了微电子机械系统(MEMS)和集成电路的设计和制造。因此，该项目旨在创建基于CMUT的紧凑型非侵入式超声波流量和风速传感器，不仅涉及换能器的设计和制造，还涉及创建集成传感系统所需的驱动、偏置、信号调理和处理集成电路的设计。在该项目的过程中，将解决与增强工艺、集成电路、封装和集成到紧凑型传感系统中有关的挑战，以扩大MEMS-Vision的技术潜力。 该项目的成果将不仅仅是增强MEMS-Vision的工艺和创造新型紧凑型流动和风速传感器，因为设计的CMUT可以在其他领域找到应用，如指纹识别或医学成像。HQP将在涉及MEMS和电子的多学科环境中获得先进的、有市场价值的设计和制造技能。该项目将培养2名博士后研究员、2名博士、2名硕士和2名本科生。它将在MEMS、传感、接口IC和集成领域取得进展，这对加拿大的研究做出了重大贡献。

Historically, flow sensors have been a workhorse in a wide range of industrial and medical applications. However, they are typically relatively large which limits deployment or, if micromachined, they often rely on thermal effects forcing invasive operation, which limits the number of compatible applications. Ultrasonic flow sensors can remedy the latter limitation, and capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) can render them more compact, mitigating the former limitation. Industrial partner MEMS-Vision wishes to start a research effort to expand its custom MEMS above-IC compatible fabrication process to create such sensors. MEMS-Vision aims to create the most compact sensing system, including both the transducer and integrated circuits. It has sought the expertise of Prof. Nabki, whose experience spans the design and fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) as well as integrated circuits, to orchestrate this research effort in collaboration. Accordingly, this project aims to create compact non-invasive ultrasonic flow and wind speed sensors based on CMUTs, touching not only on the design and fabrication of the transducers, but on the design of the driving, biasing, signal conditioning, and processing integrated circuits that are required to create an integrated sensing system. Challenges pertaining to the enhanced process, integrated circuits, packaging, and integration into compact sensing systems will be addressed over the course of this project to expand the potential of MEMS-Vision's technology. The project's outcomes will go beyond enhancing MEMS-Vision's process and creating novel compact flow and wind speed sensors, as the CMUTs devised could find applications in other areas such as fingerprinting or medical imaging. The HQP will gain advanced and marketable design and manufacturing skills in a multidisciplinary setting touching both MEMS and electronics. The project will train 2 post-doctoral fellows, 2 PhDs, 2 Master's and 2 undergraduate students. It will yield advances in the fields of MEMS, sensing, interfacing ICs, and integration, which represents significant contributions to research in Canada.