A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) cell comprising three electrodes: a first electrode coupled to a cell membrane; a second electrode embedded into a cell floor opposing the first electrode and separated therefrom by a gas or vacuum cavity; and a third electrode opposing the second electrode on the cavity side, wherein a dielectric layer is sandwiched between the second electrode and the third electrode to create a capacitive relation between the second electrode and the third electrode. The three electrode CMUT cell provides an ultrasound transducer with two actively driven (controlled) electrodes.