Optimization design of a new type of high-frequency piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer with the compliant hinge-based mounting clamp

Piezoceramic-based ultrasonic transducers are widely used in the fabrication and packaging of the microelectronic device and their performance largely depends on the ultrasonic energy delivery efficiency (UEDE) which can be reflected by the tip vibration amplitude output (TVAO) of the transducer indirectly. Recently, it was reported that a new type of flexure hinge-based mounting clamp could enhance the TVAO of the transducer significantly. To get the best effect, this research aimed at developing an optimization method for this newly proposed mounting clamp. For the purpose, a series of researches were performed against a self-developed transducer equipped with a pair of circular notched hinge-based mounting clamps. Firstly, the influential rules of several key geometric parameters of the flexure hinge on the TVAO of the ultrasonic transducer were explored. Then, an optimization objective function together with a group of constraints was constructed. Next, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to optimize the geometric parameters of the circular hinge-based mounting clamp. Finally, the performance of the optimized mounting clamp was tested based on a measurement and evaluation system. The results show the optimized mounting clamp can enhance the TVAO of the transducer greatly, presenting a good improvement effect of the UEDE, and manifesting the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed method. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.