The multi-sensing 'Medical Integrated Photonic Ultrasound Transducer' (MED-IPUT) project will develop a high-resolution, high-quality, recyclable medical imaging system based on a disruptive integrated photonic ultrasound transducer concept. We envisioned a 100x increase in sensitivity compared to conventional US. The IPUT-based sensing system, combines optical waveguides and micromechanical membranes with two optical read-out techniques (RR and MZI) to at least two US applications; medical ultrasound (US) and photoacoustics (PA). We will solve technical challenges such as increasing sensitivity, mass parallelization by optical multiplexing and hybrid integration of microelectronics in PIC, tuneable waveguides, fiber chip coupling manufacturability and packaging. These advances will lead to a higher production yield and increased insight in the processing solutions of hybrid integrated photonics. The IPUTs are based on easily accessible materials, don’t require lead to improve the performance and laser power can be reduced significantly. We will iteratively develop an effective SOI and SiN manufacturing process to realize very sensitive IPUT sensors and integrate them into US transducer arrays for medical imaging and PA for validation and demonstration on phantoms instead of tissue. The partners have the in-house capability to develop, manufacture, integrate and package the novel IPUT-based sensing systems into transducers, covering the full manufacturing value chain. The increase in sensitivity will enable: 1. An increase of the US image by a factor 2. 2. An increase of the penetration depth by a factor 2. 3. A 100x reduction of the peak pressures. 4. A 100x reduction of the required laser power for PA resulting in the use of low-cost lasers. MED-IPUT reinforces European industrial leadership in high-performance multi-sensing system development and manufacturing, particularly in the healthcare sector.

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a material joining technique that is a major breakthrough due to its substantial advantages compared to other techniques for welding aluminum alloys. This has allowed aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing to achieve 60% cost saving and reduce manufacturing time by 73% in aircraft models. This is only a fraction of what could be achieved. Despite its merits, FSW use is still limited due to a certain defect termed “kissing bond”. Kissing bonds reduce the stress-load resilience of FSW materials and are extremely difficult to detect. Thus, out of fear of low fatigue performance, aerospace and automotive manufacturers cannot leverage FSW to its full potential which translates to manufacturing cost savings of €1.6 billion, fuel savings of €1.9 billion and a reduction of 2 million tons of CO2, during the next 20 years. This gap gives rise to a unique business opportunity which Vermon (developer of nonlinear ultrasonic transducers) and RISE (expert in signal processing algorithms), IKH (high-tech SME specializing in human-machine interfaces and service robotics) along with Coskunoz (leader in FSW machinery with commercial presence in 4 continents) seek to seize with the aid of TWI (world class research institute who originally invented FSW) by commercializing FrictionHarmonics. FrictionHarmonics is the fruit of four years of R&D financed by private funds and public grants. It has already been validated in a relevant environment and is proved to detect kissing bonds of less than 0.3mm in diameter with 100% accuracy. We now need to finalize the system’s commercial version, certify it, and validate its performance in a complete FSW production line. Our primary target customers will be aerospace and automotive manufacturers in Europe and North America. To this end, we request a grant of €2.2m. Our aim is to grow our businesses by €33.44m in gross cumulative revenue, operating at a profit of €13.83m and generating 215 new jobs over the 5 years after market launch.