/Acoustic design for ultrasound power delivery for biomedical implants

Acoustic design for ultrasound power delivery for biomedical implants

Leuven | More than two weeks ago

Delivering the ultrasound inside the body to power the implants

Bringing the power inside an implant had been a major challenge in modern biomedical engineering since the introduction of the first implantable electronical devices. Together with required miniaturization that comes along with the power requirements, MEMS technology with its micrometer sized machines is an ideal candidate to solve some of the crucial problems for biomedical implants. As implantable devices evolve and become more advanced, the size and power consumption requirements are advancing dramatically. This project will focus on the use of ultrasound devices to produce and receive acoustic waves in order to bring electrical power into the body to the implant. 

 

Classical ultrasound transducers consist of a thick layer of piezo material, sandwiched between two electrodes. Their miniaturized counterparts (PMUTs) allow for a much smaller form factor and easier integration with supporting electronics. They are miniaturized drums containing a piezoelectric layer in their membrane that can generate and pick up mechanical deformation of the suspended membrane. This allows PMUT to emit and receive ultrasound waves by respectively vibrating the membrane or detecting the deformation of the membrane by an incoming wave.

 

By using smart arrays of these small transducers, complex ultrasound fields can be generated and received. It is this beamforming feature of arrays of transducers that allows transferring power with ultrasound. However, these systems are often faced with significant limitation for miniaturization and performance, and finding a way around it can yield in a significant breakthrough of this technology. With new solutions explored in this internship, a significant improvement of such a system can be expected, opening new routes for a future of biomedical implants.

 

The goal of this project is to develop, design and optimize an innovative acoustic power delivery system. This project will give an opportunity to perform an acoustic analysis in solids, fluids, and gases as well as to participate in development of a state-of-the art acoustic transmitters and receivers. Generally, this is a topic for students eager to understand complex systems with a hands on attitude and interest for MEMS devices and acoustic simulations. High creativity is much appreciated. The work is estimated to be: 50% simulations/calculations (f.e COMSOL, Matlab or likewise), 50% system design.

 

Type of project: Combination of internship and thesis

 

Duration: 6-12 months

Required degree: Master of Engineering Technology, Master of Science, Master of Engineering Science, Master of Bioengineering

Required background: Biomedical engineering, Electromechanical engineering, Electrotechnics/Electrical Engineering, Energy, Mechanical Engineering, Physics

Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact: Bogdan Vysotskyi (Bogdan.Vysotskyi@imec.be) and Veronique Rochus (Veronique.Rochus@imec.be)

Only for self-supporting students.

Who we are
Accept marketing-cookies to view this content.
Cookie settings
imec's cleanroom
Accept marketing-cookies to view this content.
Cookie settings

Related jobs

Accuracy Comparison of Liberty timing models (NLDM vs. ECSM vs. CCS vs. CCSN) beyond FinFET nodes

Dive deep into the world of VLSI implementation technologies and the methodologies used to develop them 

Development of power gating circuitry model

Develop an electrical equivalent model for power gating circuitry, including the chip power pads, power gating switches, active circuitry, PDN etc., aiming to facilitate the evaluation of trade-offs of novel technology assumptions across the stack. 

Staff and Operations Manager

Within Specialty Components and Platforms Development (SCPD) unit, we are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic colleague to lead staff and operational activities. Currently this position is mapped at manager level with the outlook of growing further in the organization.

Senior R&D Engineer: Electronic System Architecture

We are looking for an enthusiastic person eager to take ownership during the whole electronic system design and development cycle.

Layout and tape-out engineer DST/SCPD

As tape-out and lay-out engineer, you will play a key role to support IC manufacturing in advanced technologies for logic scaling, Si Photonics, Imagers, Life Science, GaN Power and other specialties.

Real-time monitoring of the remaining useful life of an electronic system with a data-based approach

The aim of this PhD track is to develop an AI methodology, using machine learning (ML) approaches, to predict the remaining useful lifetime of electronic systems by fusing data obtained from both sensors and simulations.
Job opportunities

Send this job to your email