Ultrasound transducer and processing methods thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9530955-B2
Application number	US-201213679847-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2012
Priority date	Nov 18, 2011
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

An ultrasonic transducer includes a backing element, an active element overlying the backing layer, and a matching element overlying the active element, the matching element having an inner surface that contacts the active element and an outer surface with a non-homogeneous texture and/or material composition. The matching element may be formed by subtractive or deposition techniques.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
a backing layer;
an active element overlying the backing layer; and
a matching element overlying the active element, the matching element having an inner surface that contacts the active element and an outer surface with a non-homogeneous texture, wherein the matching element comprises a single matching layer, the outer surface having a first region with a first texture and a second region with a second texture, the first texture differing from the second texture, and wherein the outer surface is opposite the inner surface.

2. The transducer of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface has the first region with a first material composition and the second region with a second material composition, wherein the first material composition differs from the second material composition.

3. The transducer of claim 1 , wherein the first and second textures are coarse or rough, the first and second regions having a reduced thickness in the matching layer.

4. The transducer of claim 3 , wherein the first and second textures are formed by ablation.

5. The transducer of claim 3 , wherein the first and second textures are formed by abrasion.

6. The transducer of claim 1 , wherein the matching element includes a third matching region, the first, second, and third matching regions each having different thicknesses.

7. The transducer of claim 6 , wherein the matching regions are arranged side-by-side on the active element.

8. The transducer of claim 2 , wherein the matching element further includes a third matching region of the first material composition over the active element.

9. The transducer of claim 8 , wherein the second matching region is a fill-in matching region of the second material composition deposited between the first and third matching regions of the first material over the active element.

10. The transducer of claim 9 , wherein the matching regions of the first material and the matching regions of the second material are of the same thickness thereby forming a matching layer formed from two materials with different compositions.

11. A method of making an ultrasonic transducer comprising:
providing a backing layer;
providing an active element overlying the backing layer; and
forming a matching element over the active element, the matching element having an inner surface that contacts the active element and an outer surface with a non-homogeneous texture, wherein the matching element comprises a single matching layer, the outer surface having a first region with a first texture and a second region with a second texture, the first texture differing from the second texture, and wherein the outer surface is opposite the inner surface.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the forming step includes providing the outer surface with the first region having a first material composition and the second region having a second material composition, wherein the first material composition differs from the second material composition.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the matching layer has a thickness, and wherein the step of providing the outer surface with first and second regions includes a step of reducing the thickness of the matching layer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the reducing step includes ablation.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the reducing step includes abrasion.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the forming step includes providing the first and second matching regions with different thicknesses.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of providing the first and second matching regions with different thicknesses includes arranging the first and second matching regions side-by side on the active element.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of forming the matching element includes depositing a third matching region of the first material composition on the active element.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the forming step further includes forming the second matching region to be a fill-in matching region of the second material composition between the first and third matching regions of the first material composition deposited on the active element.

20. The method of claim 19 , further including a step of causing the matching regions of the first material composition and the matching region of the second material composition to have the same thickness.

Assignees

• Acist Medical Sys Inc

Inventors

• Bautista Richard
• Zelenka Robert

Classifications

• B06B1/067

  which is used as, or combined with, an impedance matching layer · CPC title

• H04R1/1091 Primary

  Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083 · CPC title

• H04R1/1016

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R31/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor {(manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182)} · CPC title

• H04R1/023

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title