Search

This paper presents an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor based on a 24 × 8 array of 22MHz piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) with 100 lm pitch, fully integrated with 180 nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry through eutectic wafer bonding. Each PMUT is directly bonded to a dedicated CMOS receive amplifier, minimizing electrical parasitics and eliminating the need for through-silicon vias. The array frequency response and vibration mode-shape were characterized using laser Doppler vibrometry and verified via finite element method simulation. The array's acoustic output was measured using a hydrophone to be ~14 kPa with a 28V input, in reasonable agreement with predication from analytical calculation. Pulse-echo imaging of a 1D steel grating is demonstrated using electronic scanning of a 20 × 8 sub-array, resulting in 300mV maximum received amplitude and 5:1 contrast ratio. Because the small size of this array limits the maximum image size, mechanical scanning was used to image a 2D polydimethylsiloxane fingerprint phantom (10mm × 8mm) at a 1.2mm distance from the array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an 8 x 24 element, 100 μm-pitch, 20 MHz ultrasound imager based on a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) array having integrated acoustic waveguides. The 70 im diameter, 220 μm\ long waveguides function both to direct acoustic waves and to confine acoustic energy, and also to provide mechanical protection for the PMUT array used for surface-imaging applications such as an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The imager consists of a PMUT array bonded with a CMOS ASIC using wafer-level conductive eutectic bonding. This construction allows each PMUT in the array to have a dedicated front-end receive amplifier, which together with on-chip analog multiplexing enables individual pixel read-out with high signal-to-noise ratio through minimized parasitic capacitance between the PMUT and the front-end amplifier. Finite element method simulations demonstrate that the waveguides preserve the pressure amplitude of acoustic pulses over distances of 600 μm\. Moreover, the waveguide design demonstrated here enables pixel-by-pixel readout of the ultrasound image due to improved directivity of the PMUT by directing acoustic waves and creating a pressure field with greater spatial uniformity at the end of the waveguide. Pulse-echo imaging experiments conducted using a one-dimensional steel grating demonstrate the array's ability to form a two-dimensional image of a target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a design methodology for on-chip magnetic bead label detectors based on Hall-effect sensors. Signal errors caused by the label-binding process and other factors that limit the minimum detection area are quantified and adjusted to meet typical assay accuracy standards. The methodology is demonstrated by designing an 8192 element Hall sensor array, implemented in a commercial 0.18 \mum CMOS process with single-mask postprocessing. The array can quantify a 1% surface coverage of 2.8 \mum beads in 30 seconds with a coefficient of variation of 7.4%. This combination of accuracy and speed makes this technology a suitable detection platform for biological assays based on magnetic bead labels. \2012\--0154\ [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A neural network with 136000 connections for recognition of handwritten digits has been implemented using a mixed analog/digital neural network chip. The neural network chip is capable of processing 1000 characters/s. The recognition system has essentially the same rate (5%) as a simulation of the network with 32-b floating-point precision.