Development of a Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducer using Microfabrication Technology for in Vitro Neuromodulation

Ryo Furukawa, Takashi Tateno

2022

Abstract

Ultrasound neuromodulation, in which local and deep areas of the brain are stimulated, is promising for clinical applications. However, the mechanisms of action underlying the stimulation are still unknown. To elucidate the induction mechanisms, in vitro experiments are useful because they allow the extracellular conditions to be easily controlled. In this study, we developed a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) to modulate the activity of brain slices at the micrometer scale. To examine the relationship between the transducer size and the resonant frequency of the voltage-driven oscillations, we modeled the multi-layered structure and performed numerical calculations. A simple mathematical expression to estimate the size of the PMUT was obtained. We also designed and fabricated a PMUT with identical circular diaphragms with 580-μm radius. In addition, recording microelectrodes were fabricated into the PMUTs to monitor the transducer-driven neural activity. To characterize the PMUT properties, including the intensity and resonant frequency, we measured the pressure oscillations of the transducer driven by the applied sinusoidal voltage. Finally, we discuss the possibility of using our PMUT to stimulate brain slices in future applications.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Furukawa R. and Tateno T. (2022). Development of a Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducer using Microfabrication Technology for in Vitro Neuromodulation. In Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2022) - Volume 1: BIODEVICES; ISBN 978-989-758-552-4, SciTePress, pages 196-203. DOI: 10.5220/0010938500003123

in Bibtex Style

@conference{biodevices22,
author={Ryo Furukawa and Takashi Tateno},
title={Development of a Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducer using Microfabrication Technology for in Vitro Neuromodulation},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2022) - Volume 1: BIODEVICES},
year={2022},
pages={196-203},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0010938500003123},
isbn={978-989-758-552-4},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2022) - Volume 1: BIODEVICES
TI - Development of a Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducer using Microfabrication Technology for in Vitro Neuromodulation
SN - 978-989-758-552-4
AU - Furukawa R.
AU - Tateno T.
PY - 2022
SP - 196
EP - 203
DO - 10.5220/0010938500003123
PB - SciTePress