Design and Implementation of Differential High-Frequency Phased-Array Transducers

As marine technology advances toward unmanned and miniaturized systems, the demand for compact, high-frequency transducers has continued to increase, rendering the limitations of conventional discrete piston transducers and planar phased arrays increasingly apparent. Based on a conventional planar phased-array transducer, a 600 kHz high-frequency phased-array transducer is analyzed, designed, fabricated, and tested adopting a differential array configuration. Comparative investigations are carried out in terms of array configuration, directivity, source level, receiving gain, and fabrication process. The results show that, under the same transmitting power, the differential phased-array transducer achieves an approximately 6 dB increase in transmitting voltage response level and an approximately 3 dB array gain in the receiving mode. In addition, it exhibits the advantages of high response, low sidelobes, compact size, and simplified fabrication. Prototype tests are conducted in an anechoic water tank. At 600 kHz, the transmitting voltage response and receiving sensitivity at the grating lobe (velocity measurement beam) reaches 178.9 dB and −190.7 dB (10 m cable), respectively.