Ultrasonic device, ultrasonic module, and ultrasonic measuring apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11529126-B2
Application number	US-201716097113-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2017
Priority date	Apr 28, 2016
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

An ultrasonic device includes: a substrate provided with a first opening and a second opening; a support film that is provided on the substrate and blocks the first opening and the second opening; a transmitting piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the first opening when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate; and a receiving piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the second opening when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate. In the thickness direction of the substrate, a thickness dimension of the transmitting piezoelectric film is smaller than a thickness dimension of the receiving piezoelectric film.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic device comprising:
a substrate provided with a first opening and a second opening;
a support film that is provided on the substrate and blocks the first opening and the second opening;
a transmitting piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the first opening when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate; and
a receiving piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the second opening when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate,
wherein, in the thickness direction of the substrate, a thickness dimension of the transmitting piezoelectric film is smaller than a thickness dimension of the receiving piezoelectric film, and
wherein an opening width of the first opening is smaller than an opening width of the second opening.

2. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the thickness dimension of the transmitting piezoelectric film is 300 nm or larger and 2,750 nm or smaller,
wherein the thickness dimension of the receiving piezoelectric film is 600 nm or larger and 3,100 nm or smaller, and
wherein a difference between the thickness dimensions of the transmitting piezoelectric film and the receiving piezoelectric film is 350 nm or larger.

3. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the support film is provided with a first vibration portion that blocks the first opening and a second vibration portion that blocks the second opening,
wherein a transmission transducer is configured to have the first vibration portion and the transmitting piezoelectric film,
wherein a reception transducer is configured to have the second vibration portion and the receiving piezoelectric film, and
wherein a natural frequency of the transmission transducer is different from a natural frequency of the reception transducer.

4. The ultrasonic device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a difference between the natural frequency of the transmission transducer and the natural frequency of the reception transducer is 0.2 MHz or higher and 0.8 MHz or lower.

5. The ultrasonic device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the natural frequency of the reception transducer is lower than the natural frequency of the transmission transducer.

6. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a polarization voltage output unit that applies a transmission polarization voltage to the transmitting piezoelectric film and applies a reception polarization voltage to the receiving piezoelectric film,
wherein the transmission polarization voltage is lower than the reception polarization voltage.

7. An ultrasonic module comprising:
an ultrasonic device including a substrate provided with a first opening and a second opening, a support film that is provided on the substrate and blocks the first opening and the second opening, a transmitting piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the first opening when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate, and a receiving piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the second opening when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate; and
a case that stores the ultrasonic device,
wherein, in the thickness direction of the substrate, a thickness dimension of the transmitting piezoelectric film is smaller than a thickness dimension of the receiving piezoelectric film, and
wherein an opening width of the first opening is smaller than an opening width of the second opening.

8. An ultrasonic measuring apparatus comprising:
an ultrasonic device including a substrate provided with a first opening and a second opening, a transmitting piezoelectric film that is provided on a support film at a position which overlaps the first opening when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate, and a receiving piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the second opening when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate; and
a controller that controls the ultrasonic device,
wherein, in the thickness direction of the substrate, a thickness dimension of the transmitting piezoelectric film is smaller than a thickness dimension of the receiving piezoelectric film, and
wherein an opening width of the first opening is smaller than an opening width of the second opening.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Miyazawa Hiromu
• Ito Hiroshi
• Nakamura Tomoaki
• Yamada Masayoshi
• Kiyose Kanechika
• Funasaka Tsukasa

Classifications

• A61B8/13

  Tomography (A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B8/54 Primary

  Control of the diagnostic device · CPC title

• B06B2201/76

  Medical, dental · CPC title

• A61B8/14

  Echo-tomography · CPC title

• B06B1/0622

  on one surface · CPC title