Rayleigh–bloch waves in CMUT arrays

Using the small-signal electrical equivalent circuit of a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) cell, along with the self and mutual radiation impedances of such cells, we present a computationally efficient method to predict the frequency response of a large CMUT element or array. The simulations show spurious resonances, which may degrade the performance of the array. We show that these unwanted resonances are due to dispersive Rayleigh–Bloch waves excited on the CMUT surface–liquid interface. We derive the dispersion relation of these waves for the purpose of predicting the resonance frequencies. The waves form standing waves at frequencies where the reflections from the edges of the element or the array result in a Fabry-Pérot resonator. High-order resonances are eliminated by a small loss in the individual cells, but low-order resonances remain even in the presence of significant loss. These resonances are reduced to tolerable levels when CMUT cells are built from larger and thicker plates at the expense of reduced bandwidth.