Rapid microfabrication of microsystems for ultrasound imaging and mechanical signal processing

这项研究计划专注于理论层面的创新及其在通过快速微机械加工(例如无掩膜灰度光刻、喷墨微印刷、激光微机械加工)制造的低成本微结构阵列中的协同结合。它是对最近授予CFI的一项重大国家拨款的补充，该拨款大力加强了UBC快速制造的现有基础设施。在技术方面，目标是开发可靠的快速制造工艺，用于定义在大面积(与目前的芯片尺寸相比)和柔性基板上的微电子机械结构的面内和面外阵列。重点将主要放在基于聚合物的技术上，而较长期的目标是纳入与陶瓷化合物的微制造相关的处理模块，以及与有机电子设备的集成。平面内、耦合的可移动微结构的2D阵列将利用大面积属性在机械领域产生等效的信号处理功能(滤波)，类似于格子滤波器或模拟细胞自动机。机电耦合为机械滤波器的特定功能增加了可编程性，目标应用于实时频谱分析领域。柔性衬底功能将被用于第二个靶标应用，其中二维聚合物CMUT(电容式微机械超声换能器)元件阵列将成为构建用于癌症检测的内窥镜超声成像系统的关键元素。胰腺癌是一种常见的高致命性肿瘤，其长期生存的唯一机会依赖于早期的完全切除。内窥镜超声已被证明在检测胰腺肿瘤方面具有最高的灵敏度，但换能器头的性能仍可改进。此外，2D聚合物CMUT阵列实现了低成本的3D超声成像系统，提供了新的有价值的见解。短的理论-实验周期对HQP很有吸引力，有望带来快速的发展步伐和更深的洞察力，对他们未来的职业生涯产生明显的影响。

This research program focuses on the synergic combination of innovations at the theoretical level and their implementation in low-cost microstructure arrays fabricated through rapid micromachining (e.g. maskless grayscale lithography, inkjet microprinting, laser micromachining). It complements a recently awarded major CFI national grant that strongly enhances the existing infrastructure for rapid fabrication at UBC. On the technology side, the objective is to develop reliable rapid fabrication processes for in-plane and out-of-plane arrays of microelectromechanical structures, defined on large areas (compared to present die sizes) and on flexible substrates. The focus will be mainly on polymer-based technologies, while a longer objective is to incorporate as well processing modules related to microfabrication of ceramic-based compounds, and integration with organic electronic devices. 2D arrays of in-plane, coupled movable microstructures will exploit the large area attribute for generating equivalent signal processing functions (filtering) in the mechanical domain, analogous to lattice filters or analog cellular automata. The electromechanical coupling adds programmability to the specific features of the mechanical filters, with target applications in the field of real-time spectrum analysis. The flexible substrate feature will be exploited in a second target application, where 2D arrays of polymer CMUT (Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer) elements, moving out-of-plane, will be the key element for building an endoscopic ultrasound imaging system for cancer detection. Pancreatic cancer is common and highly lethal, with the only chance of long-term survival depending on an early complete resection. Endoscopic ultrasound has already proven to have the highest sensitivity in detecting pancreatic tumors, but the performance of the transducer head can still be improved. Moreover, the 2D polymer CMUT array enables low-cost 3D ultrasound imaging systems, giving new valuable insights. The short theory - experiment cycle is attractive for HQPs, and promises to bring a fast pace of evolution and a deeper insight, with noticeable effects on their future career.