1I-2 Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers for High Intensity Focused Ablation of Upper Abdominal Tumors

We present the development of a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array for noninvasive focused ultrasound ablation of lower abdominal cancers under MR-guidance. While piezoelectric transducers have been traditionally used for high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), recent advances in capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have made them highly competitive with regard to costs, fabrication flexibility, and performance. Even current imaging CMUTs have shown capability of HIFU operation through high power and continuous wave operation. In this paper, we will show our experiments with current imaging CMUTs operated in HIFU mode. In addition, we will show the design and development of CMUT membranes and a transducer array specifically for HIFU ablation lower abdominal cancers