Micromachined high frequency PMN-PT/epoxy 1-3 composite ultrasonic annular array

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and performance of miniature micromachined high frequency PMN-PT/epoxy 1-3 composite ultrasonic annular arrays. The PMN-PT single crystal 1-3 composites were made with micromachining techniques. The area of a single crystal pillar was 9 × 9 μm. The width of the kerf among pillars was ∼5 μm and the kerfs were filled with a polymer. The composite thickness was 25 μm. A six-element annular transducer of equal element area of 0.2 mm² with 16 μm kerf widths between annuli was produced. The aperture size the array transducer is about 1.5 mm in diameter. A novel electrical interconnection strategy for high density array elements was implemented. After the transducer was attached to the electric connection board and packaged, the array transducer was tested in a pulse/echo arrangement, whereby the center frequency, bandwidth, two-way insertion loss (IL), and cross talk between adjacent elements were measured for each annulus. The center frequency was 50 MHz and −6 dB bandwidth was 90%. The average insertion loss was 19.5 dB at 50 MHz and the crosstalk between adjacent elements was about −35 dB. The micromachining techniques described in this paper are promising for the fabrication of other types of high frequency transducers, e.g. 1D and 2D arrays.     

High power nonuniform linear vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser array with a Gaussian far-field distribution

A 980 nm bottom-emitting vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array with a nonuniform linear arrangement is reported to realize high power with a Gaussian far-field distribution. This array is composed of five symmetrically-arranged elements of 200 μm, 150 μm, and 100 μm diameters, with the center spacing of 300 μm and 250 μm respectively. This structure makes it possible to discriminate against the higher order array supermodes. The theoretical simulation of the far-field distribution is in good agreement with the experimental result. An output power of 880 mW with a power density of 1 KW/cm² is obtained. The divergence angle is below 20° in the range of operating current from 0 A to 4 A. The comparison between this nonuniform linear array and the conventional two-dimensional array is carried out to demonstrate the good performance of the linear array. A peak power of over 20 W is achieved under a short pulsed operation with a repetition frequency of 1 kHz.     

声矢量圆阵宽带相干目标MVDR方位估计*

针对宽带相干目标的远程探测问题，本文提出一种基于声压振速联合处理和矢量重构的声矢量圆阵MVDR波束形成方法。该方法利用相位模态变换技术，将声矢量圆阵变换为与信号频率无关的虚拟线阵，并构建虚拟线阵声压与组合振速的互协方差矩阵，利用声压与振速各分量间的空间相关性有效地抑制各向同性环境噪声；并对宽带相干信号的互协方差矩阵进行矢量重构，即将最大特征值对应的特征向量划分为相互重叠的子向量，从而构建前/后向Hermitian矩阵；最后，基于MVDR波束形成器实现宽带相干目标的方位估计。仿真计算和实验数据处理结果表明，该方法具较强的解相干能力和噪声抑制能力以及较高的方位估计性能。     

Numerical and experimental investigation of kerf depth effect on high-frequency phased array transducer

Background

High-frequency ultrasonic transducer arrays are essential for high resolution imaging in clinical analysis and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE). However, the structure design and fabrication of the kerfed ultrasonic array is quite challenging when very high frequency (?100 MHz) is required.

Objective and method

Here we investigate the effect of kerf depth on the performances of array transducers. A finite element tool, COMSOL, is employed to simulate the properties of acoustic field and to calculate the electrical properties of the arrays, including crosstalk effect and electrical impedance. Furthermore, Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) deep etching process is used to etch 36°/Y-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) crystals and the limitation of etching aspect ratio is studied. Several arrays with different profiles are realized under optimized processes. At last, arrays with a pitch of 25 μm and 40 μm are fabricated and characterized by a network analyzer.

Results

Kerf depth plays an important role in the performance of the transducer array. The crosstalk is proportional to kerf depth. When kerf depth is more than 13 μm, the array with crosstalk less than −20 dB, which is acceptable for the real application, could provide a desired resolution. Compared to beam focusing, kerf depth exhibits more effect on the beam steering/focusing. The lateral pressure distribution is quantitatively summarized for four types of arrays with different kerf depth. The results of half-cut array are similar to those of the full-cut one in both cases of focusing and steering/focusing. The Full-Width-at-Half-Maximum (FWHM) is 55 μm for the half-cut array, and is 42 μm for the full-cut one. The 5-μm-cut array, suffering from severe undesired lobes, demonstrates similar behaviors with the no-cut one. ICP process is used to etch the 36°/Y-cut LiNbO₃ film. The aspect ratio of etching profile increases with the kerf width decreasing till it stops by forming a V-shaped groove, and the positive tapered profile angle ranges between 62° and 80°. If the mask selectivity does not limit the process in terms of achievable depth, the aspect ratio is limited to values around 1.3. The measurement shows the electrical impedance and crosstalk are consistent with the numerical calculation.

Conclusion

The numerical results indicate that half-cut array is a promising alternative for the fabrication of high-frequency ultrasonic linear arrays. In fact, the minimum pitch that could be obtained is around 25 μm, equivalent to a pitch of 1.6λ, with a kerf depth of 16 μm under the optimized ICP parameters.     

A miniature high resolution 3-D imaging sonar

This paper discusses the design and development of a miniature, high resolution 3-D imaging sonar. The design utilizes frequency steered phased arrays (FSPA) technology. FSPAs present a small, low-power solution to the problem of underwater imaging sonars. The technology provides a method to build sonars with a large number of beams without the proportional power, circuitry and processing complexity. The design differs from previous methods in that the array elements are manufactured from a monolithic material. With this technique the arrays are flat and considerably smaller element dimensions are achievable which allows for higher frequency ranges and smaller array sizes. In the current frequency range, the demonstrated array has ultra high image resolution (1″ range × 1° azimuth × 1° elevation) and small size (<3″ × 3″). The design of the FSPA utilizes the phasing-induced frequency-dependent directionality of a linear phased array to produce multiple beams in a forward sector. The FSPA requires only two hardware channels per array and can be arranged in single and multiple array configurations that deliver wide sector 2-D images. 3-D images can be obtained by scanning the array in a direction perpendicular to the 2-D image field and applying suitable image processing to the multiple scanned 2-D images. This paper introduces the 3-D FSPA concept, theory and design methodology. Finally, results from a prototype array are presented and discussed.     

Direction of arrival estimation for underwater acoustic target based on compressed sensing after blind reconstruction of array signal in frequency domain

The performance of direction of arrival(DOA) estimation based on compressed sensing(CS) decreases in the complex ocean marine environment.In order to tackle this problem,a method of DOA estimation for underwater acoustic target based on CS after blind reconstruction of array signal in frequency domain is proposed.Firstly,the received array data are transformed to frequency domain by Fourier transform and frequency domain wideband signal are divided into part overlapping multiple sub-band array signal.Secondly,each subband array signal are separated using plural blind source separation(BSS) method,the sub-band separated matrix and target signal can be estimated.Thirdly,the array signal in frequency domain are reconstructed according to the separated matrix and separated signals which were not noises.Fourthly,the sub-band spatial spectrum corresponding to the reconstructed array signal is obtained by CS beamforming method.Finally,the total spatial spectrum is achieved by summing the all sub-band spatial spectrum.And the target direction can be estimated by searching the peak value of the total spatial spectrum.The verification results of simulator data and sea measured data show that,under the same conditions,the target detection ability and direction precision of the proposed method is superior to the classical minimum variance distortionless response(MVDR) method,frequency domain CS method,BSS combined with MVDR method.The spatial spectrum energy of faint target signal is improved obviously,and the ability of the sonar to detect faint target is enhanced.     

Sound source imaging of low-flying airborne targets with an acoustic camera array

Two-dimensional images of sound source distribution from near-ground airborne sounds are created using an array of 32 microphones and time-domain beamforming. The signal processing is described and array configurations spanning a square area with a side length of 3.45 m, approximately five wavelengths for a 500 Hz sound, are examined. Simulations of a 32-element under-populated log₆ × log₆ spaced array are given for sound sources centered over the array at 250 Hz, 500 Hz, and 1000 Hz. Stochastically optimized array geometry with a simulated annealing algorithm is discussed and a 32-element array optimized for a 500 Hz source is given along with a simulated image for direct comparison with the log₆ spaced array. Images from field testing a 32-element under-populated log₆ × log₆ spaced array are provided for a small aircraft flyover. Results show that this type of acoustic camera generates accurate images of sound source location. Suggested uses include monitoring small aircraft flying too low to be detected by radar as well as monitoring ecological events, such as bird migration.     

Modelling and simulation of high-frequency (100 MHz) ultrasonic linear arrays based on single crystal LiNbO3

Background

High-frequency ultrasonic transducer arrays are essential for high resolution imaging in clinical analysis and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE). However, the fabrication of conventional backing-layer structure, which requires a pitch (distance between the centers of two adjacent elements) of half wavelength in medium, is really a great challenge.

Objective and method

Here we present an alternative buffer-layer structure with a silicon lens for volumetric imaging. The requirement for the size of the pitch is less critical for this structure, making it possible to fabricate high-frequency (100 MHz) ultrasonic linear array transducers. Using silicon substrate also makes it possible to integrate the arrays with IC (Integrated Circuit). To compare with the conventional backing-layer structure, a finite element tool, COMSOL, is employed to investigate the performances of acoustic beam focusing, the influence of pitch size for the buffer-layer configuration, and to calculate the electrical properties of the arrays, including crosstalk effect and electrical impedance.

Results

For a 100 MHz 10-element array of buffer-layer structure, the ultrasound beam in azimuth plane in water could be electronically focused to obtain a spatial resolution (a half-amplitude width) of 86 μm at the focal depth. When decreasing from half wavelength in silicon (42 μm) to half wavelength in water (7.5 μm), the pitch sizes weakly affect the focal resolution. The lateral spatial resolution is increased by 4.65% when the pitch size decreases from 42 μm to 7.5 μm. The crosstalk between adjacent elements at the central frequency is, respectively, −95 dB, −39.4 dB, and −60.5 dB for the 10-element buffer, 49-element buffer and 49-element backing arrays. Additionally, the electrical impedance magnitudes for each structure are, respectively, 4 kΩ, 26.4 kΩ, and 24.2 kΩ, which is consistent with calculation results using Krimholtz, Leedom, and Matthaei (KLM) model.

Conclusion

These results show that the buffer-layer configuration is a promising alternative for the fabrication of high-frequency ultrasonic linear arrays dedicated to volumetric imaging.     

盲重构频域阵列信号的压缩感知水声目标方位估计

针对复杂海洋环境条件下压缩感知水声目标方位估计性能下降的问题,利用盲源分离能够提高信噪比的优势,提出了一种盲重构频域阵列信号的压缩感知水声目标方位估计方法。首先将阵元域信号通过傅里叶变换方法得到多个子带阵列信号;然后对各个子带阵列信号进行复数域盲源分离得到子带解混矩阵和子带分离信号估计,并对子带分离信号进行属性分析和处理;再根据处理后的子带分离信号和子带解混矩阵重构子带阵列信号,对重构的子带阵列信号采用频域压缩感知方法进行空间谱估计,得到各个子带的空间谱;最后将各子带得到的空间谱进行求和,搜索求和后空间谱的峰值则可实现目标方位估计。模拟器数据和海上实测数据验证结果表明,同等条件下该方法的目标检测能力优于经典的最小方差无失真响应(Minimum Variance Distortionless Response,MVDR)方法、频域压缩感知(Compressed Sensing,CS)方法、盲源分离(Blind Source Separation,BSS)与MVDR相结合的方法(BSS+MVDR方法),测向精度更高,明显提高了弱目标信号的空间谱能量,增强了声呐检测弱目标的能力。      

Acoustic analysis of a liquefied petroleum gas-fired pulse combustor

Experimental investigation of acoustic characteristics of a Helmholtz type liquefied petroleum gas-fired pulse combustor is presented. In the experiments, the length of the tail pipe was changed from 1.9 m to 1.3 m by 10 cm intervals. Sound level measurements were taken from the exhaust side (outlet) and air flapper side (inlet) at a distance of 1 m from both sides. With decreasing lengths of the tail pipe, the sound pressure level increased. At the measurements related to the exhaust side, the maximum value of equivalent continuous sound pressure level, LEQ was 96.6 dB when the length of the tailpipe and fundamental frequency were 1.3 m and 63 Hz, respectively. Same kinds of measurements were performed at the air flapper side, but the LEQ value was stronger at the exhaust side than the one at the air flapper side. It was also observed that the effect of the type of gaseous fuel on the acoustic efficiency of the pulse combustor can be neglected when the results of the acoustic efficiencies were compared to those in the literature. In order to compare the accuracy of frequencies measured by the sound level meter, a suitable dynamic pressure transducer and a spectrum analyzer were used to perform amplitude and frequency measurements. The average deviation between the measurements performed by the sound level meter and dynamic pressure transducer was 2.4 Hz (3.8% errors) while the average deviation was 3.8 Hz (6% errors) between the sound level meter and spectrum analyzer.     

Analysis of 2-D motion tracking in ultrasound with dual transducers

We study displacement and strain measurement error of dual transducers (two linear arrays, aligned orthogonally and coplanar). Displacements along the beam of each transducer are used to obtain measurements in two-dimensions. Simulations (5 MHz) and experiments (10 MHz) are compared to measurements with a single linear array, with and without angular compounding. Translation simulations demonstrate factors of 1.07 larger and 8.0 smaller biases in the axial and lateral directions respectively, for dual transducers compared to angular compounding. As the angle between dual transducers decreases from 90° to 40°, for 1% compression simulations, the lateral RMS error ranges from 2.1 to 3.9 μm compared to 9 μm with angular compounding. Simulation of dual transducer misalignment of 1 mm and 2° result in errors of less than 9 μm. Experiments demonstrate factors of 3.0 and 5.2 lower biases for dual transducers in the axial and lateral directions respectively compared to angular compounding.     

频域单快拍压缩感知目标方位估计和信号恢复方法

方位估计和信号恢复分别是水下目标定位、跟踪和目标识别的前提。提出了一种阵列频域单快拍压缩感知的水下目标方位估计和信号恢复方法。首先将阵列接收数据变换到频域,取频域单快拍数据作为压缩感知的测量值,然后根据频域快拍对应的频率、搜索方位和阵列流形构造过完备的阵列流形矩阵作为压缩感知的感知矩阵,最后通过基追踪算法估计搜索方位上目标信号和功率,实现DOA估计与信号恢复。宽带仿真实验数据验证结果表明,同等条件下完成同样的目标方位分辨,提出的方法比最小方差无失真响应方法要求的阵元数和快拍数较少,要求的信噪比更低,恢复的目标信号更加准确,波形相关系数达到89%以上。海上实验数据处理结果表明,目标检测能力优于最小方差无失真响应方法,证明该方法可以适用于实际声呐系统。      

Synthesis and bioactivity of highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays

The highly ordered TiO₂ nanotube arrays were fabricated by potentiostatic anodization of Ti foils in fluorinated dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). TiO₂ nanotube arrays are formed using a 40 V anodization potential for 24 h, with a length of 12 μm, diameter of 170 nm and aspect ration of about 70. The as-prepared nanotubes are amorphous, but can be crystallized as the heat treatment temperature increases. Anatase phase appears at a temperature of about 300 °C, then transforms to rutile phase at about 600 °C. After heat treatment at 500 °C and soaking in SBF for 14d, a thick apatite layer of about 13 μm covers the whole surface of TiO₂ nanotube arrays, indicating their excellent in vitro bioactivity, which is mainly attributed to their high specific surface area and the anatase phase.     

交叉验证多路径匹配追踪水声矢量阵稀疏方位估计

水下运动目标的高分辨DOA估计和目标的左右舷分辨问题一直是水声阵列信号处理中的一个核心问题。矢量阵相比于声压阵具有天然的左右舷分辨能力和更高的处理增益,近年来得到了广泛关注。Capon等一些传统高分辨处理方法存在不能解相干源、需要多快拍处理以及对阵列流行误差敏感等多种问题。针对水声阵列信号处理领域面临的以上问题,利用声呐工作场景中空间目标的稀疏性,本文提出了一种基于交叉验证技术的多路径匹配追踪（Multiplepath Matching Pursuit with Cross Validation,CV-MMP）声矢量阵稀疏DOA估计算法。该算法采用交叉验证技术可以在未知场景中目标个数的条件下实现稀疏DOA的估计,相比于常规的声矢量阵Capon算法而言,可以在小快拍数甚至单快拍数条件下实现多目标的稀疏DOA估计以及高分辨能力。仿真和海试试验数据处理验证了提出的算法的有效性。      

Anatase type titania nanotube arrays direct fabricated by anodization without annealing

In this paper, anatase type titania nanotube arrays were direct fabricated by anodization in dimethyl sulfoxide electrolyte containing 1 wt% HF solution at above 50 °C without subsequently annealing. The length of the nanotubes decreases with increasing anodization temperature from about approximately 15 μm at 40 °C to approximately 4.5 μm at 60 °C. High resolution transmission electron microscope images and selected area electron diffraction pattern confirm the polycrystalline anatase specimen consisting of many nanocrystals with a random orientation.     

Direction of arrival estimation and signal recovery based on single snapshot compressed sensing in frequency domain

Direction of arrival(DOA) estimation and signal recovery is the base of the underwater target localization,tracking and recognition.Based on the compressed sensing theory,a method for DOA estimation and source signal recovery is proposed using the single snapshot processing of the received array signal in frequency domain.The received array signal are transformed to frequency domain,and the single snapshot data in frequency domain are regarded as the measured data of the compressed sensing.According to the frequency,searching orientation and array manifold,the overcomplete array manifold is constructed as the sensing matrix of the compressed sensing.Both the target signal and power of the searching orientation are estimated by the basis pursuit method to complete DOA estimation and signal recovery.Simulation results show that the proposed method has a number of advantages over the minimum variance distortionless response(MVDR) method,including improved robustness to noise,fewer requirement in number of sensors and snapshots.And the correlation coefficient of the signal reaches up to 0.89.Experiment results in real environments verify that the proposed method performs more effectively in the detection of weak targets than the MVDR method and can be applied to real sonar system.     

A novel terahertz wave reflective polarizer for THz communication

We design terahertz wave reflective polarizer that operates over a wide terahertz wavelength range and is based on a periodic bilayer structure. The structure is characterized by transfer matrix calculations. Results of simulations show that the mirror is highly reflecting for incidence angle θ ≤ 60°and TE as well as TM polarization in the wavelength range between 541.6 μm and 574.2 μm (i.e. frequency band between 522.5GHZ and 533.9 GHZ). As the incidence angle increases this reflection band blueshifts for both TM and TE polarizations.     

快速收敛最小方差无畸变响应算法研究及应用

常规最小方差无畸变响应(MVDR)自适应波束形成是一种高分辨窄带波束形成器,它是利用实际声场的窄带互谱密度矩阵(CSDM)估计出自适应波束形成权向量。在实际应用中,MVDR算法需要较长的观测时间估计协方差矩阵,不利于对高速运动目标进行定位;对于宽带目标信号,MVDR算法需要对每一个CSDM进行求逆运算,计算量较大;在相干源条件下,目标信号之间会发生"对消"现象,MVDR算法性能急剧恶化。本文提出了基于子带子阵处理的快速收敛MVDR自适应波束形成方法。首先将全频带划分成一组子带,将接收线阵划分成一组子阵,然后对每一子带计算降维的驾驶协方差矩阵(STCM),从而得到快速收敛MVDR自适应波束形成的权值和空间谱估计结果。同时采用双向空间平滑方法对相干源进行MVDR空间谱估计。仿真和海试数据处理结果表明该算法在保证高分辨力的同时,具有瞬时收敛的性能,双向空间平滑技术具有良好的解相干性能。      

Fabrication and magnetic property of binary Co-Ni nanowire array by alternating current electrodeposition

Ordered binary Co-Ni nanowire arrays with different components have successfully been fabricated by ac electrodeposition. The as-obtained nanowires exhibit a diameter of about 49.2 nm and aspect ratio of more than 30. A highly preferential orientation of the Co-Ni nanowires has been obtained by XRD. The magnetic properties of Co-Ni nanowire arrays determined by VSM are as the function of the Co-Ni components. The maximum value of coercivities perpendicular to the array is 2073 Oe. However, the magnetic properties of such nanowire arrays exhibited a bad thermal stability at the medium temperature of 200 °C.     

Rotating magnetic macrospheres as heating mechanism for remote controlled drug release

A permanent magnetic macrosphere (diameter: 5 mm) spherically seated in an oil bearing inside an experimental capsule (comparable to a hard gelatine capsule size 2) is turned by a rotating magnetic field (H ? 5 kA/m; frequency ν?500 Hz) and causes a temperature rise up to about 60 °C. In order to find further possible improvements, the experimental results were compared to theoretical expectations. First experiments using improved thermal isolation yielded temperatures of about 100 °C. The heating can be used as a mechanism to remotely release drugs in the gastrointestinal tract.