Membrane Bonding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016339628-A1
Application number	US-201615077734-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 22, 2016
Priority date	May 20, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for membrane bonding. A bonding agent may be applied to one or both of an ultrasonic device and membrane. The membrane may be placed on the ultrasonic device such that the membrane is in contact with the ultrasonic device through the bonding agent. The membrane and the ultrasonic device may be placed in between a first flat plate and a second flat plate, such that the second flat plate rests on top of the membrane. Light pressure may be applied to the membrane. The light pressure may be applied by one or more of the weight of the second flat plate and a pressure providing device applying pressure to either or both of the first flat plate and the second flat plate.

First claim

1 . A method comprising:
applying a bonding agent to one or both of an ultrasonic device and membrane; placing the membrane on the ultrasonic device such that the membrane is in contact with the ultrasonic device through the bonding agent; placing the membrane and the ultrasonic device in between a first flat plate and a second flat plate, such that the second flat plate rests on top of the membrane; and applying light pressure to the membrane, wherein the light pressure is applied by one or more of the weight of the second flat plate and a pressure providing device applying pressure to either or both of the first flat plate and the second flat plate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the bonding agent to the ultrasonic device comprises:
placing a stencil on the ultrasonic device; and applying the bonding agent to the ultrasonic device through one or more openings in the stencil.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the stencil is placed on the ultrasonic device based on fiducials of the stencil and fiducials of a substrate of the ultrasonic device.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the openings of the stencil comprise dashes and dots, the dashes forming a grid of dashed squares with a dot at the center of each dashed square in the grid of dashed squares.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the bonding agent applied to the ultrasonic device creates borders of ultrasonic transducer cells, and wherein a dot of the bonding agent is applied to the tips of the free ends of electromechanically active devices of the ultrasonic device.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the bonding agent is applied using a metal straight-edge or a non-compliant rubber squeegee.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bonding agent is an epoxy.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the light pressure is applied for the entire curing time of the bonding agent.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bonding agent cures to form bond lines bonding the membrane to the ultrasonic device.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the bond lines divide the membrane into mechanically isolated membrane sections.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the membrane sections is bonded by the cured bonding agent to the tip of the free end of an electromechanically active device covered by the membrane section.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the electromechanically active device is bonded to the membrane section off the center of the membrane section.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising keeping the membrane and ultrasonic device at a temperature below 90 degrees Celsius for the curing time of the bonding agent.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before placing the membrane on the ultrasonic device, preparing or texturing at least one surface of the membrane.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the membrane comprises a metal or metal-patterned film

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bonding agent is mixed with glass microspheres.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic device comprises one or more ultrasonic transducers on a substrate.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each ultrasonic transducer comprises an electromechanically active device attached to the substrate and partially projecting out over a cavity in the substrate.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the electromechanically active device is a piezoelectric unimorph or a piezoelectric bimorph.

20 . A method comprising:
placing a stencil on an ultrasonic device such that the stencil covers one or more ultrasonic transducers of the ultrasonic device, the stencil comprising one or more openings; applying an epoxy to the ultrasonic device through the one or more openings of the stencil, wherein the epoxy forms epoxy lines on the ultrasonic device, and wherein is epoxy is applied to electromechanically active devices of the ultrasonic transducers; removing the stencil from the ultrasonic device; placing a membrane on the ultrasonic device such that the membrane is in contact with the epoxy, wherein the membrane covers one or more of the ultrasonic transducers; placing the membrane and the ultrasonic device between a first flat plate and a second flat plate, such that the second flat plate is in contact with the membrane and the first flat plate is in contact with the ultrasonic device opposite the second flat plate; and applying light pressure to the membrane or the ultrasonic device through either or both of the first flat plate and the second flat plate for at least part of the curing time of the epoxy.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the epoxy lines are based on a pattern of the openings of the stencil.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the epoxy lines form bond lines after the epoxy has cured.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the bond lines divide the ultrasonic device into one or more ultrasonic transducer cells, wherein each ultrasonic transducer cell comprises one or more ultrasonic transducers.

24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein each of the ultrasonic transducer cells further comprises a membrane section of the membrane bonded to the borders of the ultrasonic transducer cell by the cured epoxy of the bond lines.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein each membrane section is mechanically isolated from the other membrane sections of the membrane by the bond lines.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein an electromechanically active device of one of the ultrasonic transducers moves the membrane section covering the ultrasonic transducer without disturbing a neighboring membrane section.

27 . The method of claim 20 , wherein at least one of the openings of the stencil is a dot, and wherein the dot is aligned with a tip of a free end of an electromechanically active device when the stencil is placed on the ultrasonic device.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the epoxy applied through the dot of the stencil forms an epoxy dot on the tip of the free end of the electromechanically active device, and wherein the epoxy dot bonds the electromechanically active device to the membrane when the epoxy dot cures.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the electromechanically active device is bonded to a membrane section of the membrane off the center of the membrane section.

30 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising before placing the membrane on the ultrasonic device, preparing or texturing at least one surface of the membrane, and wherein the at least one prepared or textured surface is placed in contact with the epoxy of the ultrasonic device when the membrane is placed on the ultrasonic device.

31 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the membrane and the ultrasonic device are kept at a temperature of less than 90 degrees Celsius for the curing time of the epoxy.

32 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the epoxy is mixed with glass microspheres.

33 . The method of claim 32 , wherein the glass microspheres are between 10 micrometers and 100 micrometers in diameter.

Assignees

• Ubeam Inc

Inventors

• Joyce Andrew
• Taffler Sean
• Reynolds Paul
• Nemeth Nicholas Lavada
• Elhadad Adam Stephen

Classifications

• B06B1/0666 Primary

  used as a diaphragm · CPC title

• F16B11/006

  by gluing (gluing of plastics material B29C65/48) · CPC title

• B29L2031/34

  Electrical apparatus, e.g. sparking plugs or parts thereof · CPC title

• B29C65/02

  by heating, with or without pressure · CPC title

• B29C65/526 Primary

  by printing or by transfer from the surfaces of elements carrying the adhesive, e.g. using brushes, pads, rollers, stencils or silk screens · CPC title