Ultra-High Sensitivity Ultrasonic Sensor with an Extrinsic All-Polymer Cavity

Abstract

An ultra-high sensitivity ultrasonic sensor with an extrinsic all-polymer cavity is presented. The probe is constructed with a polymer ferrule and a polymer-based reflection diaphragm. A specially designed polymer cover is used to seal the cavity sensor head and apply pretension to the sensing diaphragm. It can be manufactured by a commercial 3D printer with good reproducibility. Due to its all-polymer structure and high coherence depth, the sensitivity of our proposed sensor is improved significantly compared with that of the other sensor structures. Its sensitivity is 189 times as great as that of the commercial standard ultrasonic sensor at the ultrasonic frequency of 50 KHz, and it has a good response to ultrasonic within the frequency range of 18.5 KHz–200 KHz.