Micromachined ultrasonic silicon/PZT transducer for underwater communications

This paper presents design and experimental results on a miniature micromachined silicon sensor platform that includes an ultrasonic transmitter powered by miniature batteries. The transmitter consists of a Pierce oscillator formed with a silicon/PZT laminate transducer as the mechanical oscillator. FSK (frequency-shift-keying) transmission of digital data is accomplished by inductive switching in the Pierce oscillator. The device architecture allows for further miniaturization of underwater sensor systems.