NANOCOMPOSITE PIEZOELECTRIAL FILMS FOR MEDICAL IMAGING

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Ultrasound imaging products, with total sales in U.S. of roughly $800M per year, now represent the single largest medical imaging market. This breaks down roughly into one third in cardiology, one third in radiology, and one third in obstetrics, vascular, and other applications. A small segment of the other applications category includes surgical use of ultrasound imaging. Many potential application sexist which require film thickness of 1-30 um and geometries of um2 to cm2. Some examples of these macroscopic devices include ultrasonic high frequency transducers for detailed imaging of the eye, fiber optic modulators, and for self-controlled vibration aldempling systems. Main problem is to fabricate PZT device with thickness and pitch size of several tens micrometers. This proposed research program is aiming to develop a novel process to deposit and patterning high performance sol-gel PZT composite film ultrasound devices. The resolution of this direct patterning for thin film can be higher than 1 um. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: High frequency ultrasound transducer in the 20 to 100 MHz range for applications in intravascular and for the examination of the anterior segment of the eye and skin.