Biologically inspired piezoresistive MEMS acoustic vector sensor for underwater applications

Abstract

Underwater acoustics has assumed a pivotal role in the detection, navigation, communication, and target identification of ships and submarines. In recent years, advancements in noise reduction from marine vessels have underscored the significance of underwater acoustic vector sensors. This paper presents a novel approach to the design, fabrication, and characterization of a two-dimensional Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) vector acoustic sensor tailored for underwater environments. Traditional underwater acoustic vector sensors often employ doped polysilicon or silicon/germanium sensing films on rigid silicon substrates. The inflexible nature of silicon substrates necessitates labor-intensive and costly chemical-mechanical polishing processes to achieve submicron thickness, often requiring extended clean-room usage. In contrast, this work proposes a simplified, cost-effective, and scalable alternative. The sensor design utilizes reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the sensing material and Kapton as the substrate, chosen for their unique properties. rGO exhibits high carrier mobility and low intrinsic noise, ensuring clear signals with minimal external interference, thereby improving measurement accuracy in challenging environments. Kapton provides excellent thermal stability, mechanical strength, and chemical resistance, along with superior insulating properties that reduce electrical noise, enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio. The designed vector sensor leverages the piezoresistive transduction principle, incorporating a thin piezoresistive film of rGO on a flexible Kapton substrate via a straightforward drop-casting method. Inspired by the sensory mechanisms of aquatic life, the two-dimensional vector sensor not only detects pressure associated with acoustic signals but also discerns the direction from which these low and ultralow frequency signals originate. The device's performance characteristics, sensitivity, and directivity are comprehensively evaluated through static, dynamic, and acoustic tests conducted in both air and water mediums. Static tests reveal the piezoresistive behavior of rGO under applied displacement, yielding displacement sensitivities of 0.0279 V/mm and 0.0276 V/mm for axial and radial displacements, respectively. Dynamic and acoustic tests demonstrate the sensor's capability to detect low-frequency signals spanning from 0.25 Hz to 200 Hz, exhibiting a smooth and favorable frequency response. In air, the sensor exhibits receiving sensitivities ranging from −15.18 dB to −19.75 dB (X-channel) and −13.67 dB to −16.67 dB (Y-channel). In the underwater environment, these values range from −134.40 dB to −138.93 dB (X-channel) and −131.83 dB to −136.93 dB (Y-channel). Notably, the variation in receiving sensitivity across channels in both air and water is limited to within 6 dB. Furthermore, the device showcases a symmetrical directivity pattern resembling the shape of an "8," with an approximate sensitivity of −136.66 dB, a significant improvement compared to the −165 dB sensitivity of conventional polysilicon underwater vector sensors. These experimental findings affirm the feasibility of the proposed underwater vector sensor, based on the piezoresistive effect and MEMS technology, highlighting its two-dimensional directivity capabilities.