IIT Madras, DRDO Develop Cutting-Edge Underwater Sensor Technology; Will Support Development Of Next-Gen Sonar For Indian Navy

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

The indigenous development of this technology enables the nation 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, the IIT Madras said in a statement on Tuesday (9 May).

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, according to the statement.

The researched 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 research was led by DRDO Industry Academia-Ramanujan Centre of Excellence (DIA-RCoE), IIT Madras.

The DRDO Laboratories involved in this project include the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory, (NPOL), DRDO, Kochi, and Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), DRDO, Visakhapatnam.

Other collaborators include the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) Chennai and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru.

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, the statement said.

Congratulating the Researchers and Scientists on this project, Professor Manu Santhanam, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras, said, "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."

DIA-RCoE director O R Nandagopan said, "This technology is matured enough to convert it as a system with the support of 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."

Across the globe, several research groups and Defence laboratories in the US, Europe, Korea, Japan and China are involved in the development of technologies.

Internationally, several piezo MEMS foundries are making various piezo MEMS devices for both defence and civilian applications.

Currently, the piezo thin film-based piezoelectric device market is worth around $5 billion and is estimated to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12 per cent in the next 3 to 4 years, the statement said.

Further, Professor Amitava Das Gupta, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, added, "The facility for the fabrication is established at IIT Madras and also at DRDO Industry Academia - Ramanujan Centre of Excellence. It is a great achievement together by IIT Madras and DRDO."

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, according to the statement.

DRDO scientist E Varadarajan highlighted that the main challenge in the Piezo MEMS process technology is the need for high reliability and durability in harsh underwater environment, high pressure and corrosive nature of seawater.

The piezo MEMS process recipe has been successfully developed jointly with DRDO team for the complete fabrication of an acoustic sensor, without degrading the functionality of the piezo thin film, the statement said.

The fabricated PZT thin film-based acoustic sensor exhibits higher performance than the conventional PVDF-based acoustic sensor, it added.

This cutting-edge sensor technology allows the researchers to fabricate high-performance piezo MEMS acoustic devices, which will be advantageous to defence applications, according to the statement.