Study of piezo-phototronic effect on zinc oxide based ultrasonic sensors

This project aims to enhance the performance of current ultrasonic devices to offer better solutions in applications such as wireless energy transfer (e.g. energy source for electronic devices and sensors implanted in the human body and animals) and non-destructive testing (NDT) of materials, being widely applicable in health monitoring (e.g. biomedical imaging, cancer early detection), health care (muscle recovery, chronic pain treatments), industry and defence (e.g. proximity sensors used in unnamed aerial vehicles, detection of submarines, etc.). The poor stability and low resolution of current ultrasonic devices, make them to be unreliable for deep analysis of deeper parts of the human body (e.g. monitoring of blood pressure at carotid arteries for cardiovascular diseases) and of complex materials. The ambitious investigation proposed here focuses on the improvement of the ultrasonic device performance through the optimisation of materials and device structure, as well as, the introduction of a revolutionary concept known as piezo-phototronics,
consisting of the irradiation of piezoelectric materials by light. This project emerges from a revolutionary approach, comprising the combination tilted ZnO nanostructured thin films and high UV LEDs, resulting in UVassisted ultrasonic sensors. To this end, the project will involve the collaboration of academic and SME industrial partners, aiming to develop an ultrasonic sensor for NDT and wireless power transmission applications. The success of this project will set the fundamental basis of UV-assisted ultrasonic sensors as a valid solution for enhanced imaging devices and energy systems.