About Us

Sonosilicon thrives at the intersection of innovation and healthcare, operating seamlessly between the Netherlands and China. Our foundation is built upon 15 years of dedicated research experience, positioning us as leaders in advancing ultrasound applications. Specializing in integrated circuit design, silicon-based transducer design, and multi-modality, multi-dimensional ultrasound imaging, Sonosilicon tailors innovative solutions for businesses while also spearheading the development of groundbreaking products.

Sonosilicon — where expertise meets innovation to empower next-gen ultrasound.

The Founding Team

Dr. Chao Chen

Chao Chen is the Founder and CEO of Sonosilicon. He holds a Ph.D. and a M.Sc. degree from Delft University of Technology, and a B.Sc. degree from Tsinghua University, all in microelectronics. Prior to launching Sonosilicon, he was a Senior/Principal Engineer with Butterfly Network, Inc., where he worked within an industry-leading start-up team and brought the world’s first CMUT-on-CMOS ultrasound-on-chip to volume production. Dr. Chao has spent his last 12 years empowering next-generation ultrasound applications, from interventional, handheld to wearable, with cutting-edge engineering innovations in semiconductors and electronics.

Dr. Chen currently serves as a member of the technical program committees of the European Solid-State Electronics Research Conference (ESSERC). He was a recipient of the 2017 IEEE IUS Best Student Paper Award and the 2019 Else Kooi Award. He was a co-recipient of the 2021 ISSCC Anantha P. Chandrakasan Distinguished-Technical-Paper Award and Demonstration Award, the 2020 ISSCC Technology Innovation Award, and the 2017 A-SSCC Best Student Paper Award.

Dr. Michiel A.P. Pertijs

Michiel serves as a Scientific Advisor to Sonosilicon. He is an Associate Professor at Delft University of Technology, where he heads a research group focusing on integrated circuits for next-generation ultrasound applications. Founded by alumni from Michiel’s group, Sonosilicon builds on the expertise gained in 15 years of research in this field.

Prior to his academic career, Michiel held R&D positions in the semiconductor industry. He has authored or co-authored two books, four chapters, 15 patents, and over 170 technical papers. He is a member of the technical program committees of the European Solid-State Electronics Research Conference (ESSERC) and the IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS). He also served on the program committees of the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) and the IEEE Sensors Conference, and as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC). He received several awards, including the ISSCC 2005 Jack Kilby Award, the JSSC 2005 Best Paper Award, and the 2014 and 2023 Best Teacher Award of the EE program at Delft University of Technology.

Dr. Mingliang Tan

Mingliang is a Co-founder and Ultrasound IC Architect at Sonosilicon. He holds a Ph.D. degree in microelectronics from Delft University of Technology. Mingliang focused on the design of mixed-signal front-end application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for advanced ultrasound imaging probes and applications, including forward-looking (FL) intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging probe, intra-cardiac echocardiography (ICE) probe, and wearable ultrasound patch. With the innovations in terms of system design and circuit implementation, his research has demonstrated the first fully digital FL-IVUS probe and the first CMUT-based wearable ultrasound patch. At Sonosilicon, he focuses on defining innovative circuit and system solutions for next-generation ultrasound imaging devices.

Dr. Yannick Hopf

Yannick is a Co-Founder and Ultrasound IC Architect at Sonosilicon. He holds a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Delft University of Technology and a M.Sc. degree from the Technical University of Darmstadt, being honored with the 2023 SSCS Predoctoral Achievement Award and the Eckelmann AG Prize for the best degree in his year.

Yannick focused on the intersection of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and ultrasound imaging, driving ultrasound frontend architectures from idea to verification, ultimately leading to the demonstration of the first high-frame-rate 3D intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) concept. At Sonosilicon, he leads the Netherlands-based team, applying innovative circuit and system solutions to empower the next generation of ultrasound devices.