High-frequency membrane hydrophone

A membrane hydrophone with a 37-/spl mu/m diameter spot poled electrode has been fabricated on a 4-/spl mu/m-thick film of the piezoelectric copolymer, polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), and initially characterized. The hydrophone has an effective spot size of less than 100 /spl mu/m, an on-membrane +7-dB gain buffer amplifier, and a -3-dB bandwidth of 150 MHz. The acoustic properties of the hydrophone were investigated with a transducer equivalent circuit model, the electric fringe fields due to poling were characterized with a finite difference electrostatic field model, and the effective spot diameters 2a/sub 3/ and 2a/sub 6/ were estimated. Measurements on the bandwidth, effective spot size, and sensitivity are presented. This hydrophone appears suitable for the characterization of both the frequency and spatial parameters of high-frequency transducers such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheter transducers operating in the 10-40 MHz range.