IIT-M develops materials and micro device processing technologies for underwater acoustic sensors

Researchers with the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) have partnered with scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop cutting-edge sensor technology for underwater communications, which will be advantageous to defence applications, especially in the Navy.

The indigenous development of this technology enables India to fabricate the devices at a relatively lower cost than the internationally-available foundries where the cost of fabrication is high and the number of foundries is also limited, IIT-M said.

The ‘Piezoelectric MEMS technology’ is required to develop high-performance thin films and convert ‘piezo thin film’ into state-of-the-art futuristic Naval Sensors and devices for underwater applications. The Piezo Thin Films are one of the vital components of piezo MEMS devices and are considered for acoustics and vibration-sensing applications.

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IIT-M researchers led by Professor Amitava Das Gupta and Prof. Boby George along with Dr E Varadarajan, Scientist, and Dr V Natarajan, Senior Scientist of DRDO worked with multiple partners for the indigenous development of a piezo MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) process technology to make ‘Thin film membrane based Piezo MEMS Acoustic sensors.’

The establishment of cutting-edge piezo MEMS technology enables India to push the boundaries of defence competencies and allows the nation to execute the strategic operations of critical applications, the IIT-M said, adding that the large area piezo thin films and MEMS process technology will support the ongoing/ futuristic technologies for the next-generation SONAR programme of DRDO for the Indian Navy.

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“The outcome of the DRDO and Academia collaboration has resulted in the development of this novel technology which will be vital for the Indian Navy,” Professor Manu Santhanam, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT-M, said.

Nandagopan said this technology is mature enough to convert it into a system with the support of the Indian Industry. “This technology will be a disruptive technology in this domain and our country achieved ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ in underwater materials and micro device processing technology,” he added.

The indigenous development of Piezo MEMS technology connects the technology gaps leading to the development of piezo MEMS acoustic devices for underwater applications. Large dimension (100 mm dia) Piezoelectric thin films were fabricated by both RF sputtering and Sol-Gel technique with good uniformity and higher piezoelectric properties.