Microfabricated ultrasonic transducer having individual cells with electrically isolated electrode sections

• US 10,525,506 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2019
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BFLY Operations, Inc. (Butterfly Network, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Butterfly Network, Inc.
• Inventors: Alie, Susan A., Fife, Keith G., Lutsky, Joseph, Grosjean, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ha, Nathan W
• Application Number:
  US16/245,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20190160490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0292 Electrostatic transducers, e.g. electret-type
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0271 Resonators; ultrasonic resonators
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0127 Diaphragms, i.e. structures separating two media that can control the passage from one medium to another; Membranes, i.e. diaphragms with filtering function
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0315 Cavities
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/04 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/015 the micromechanical device and the control or processing electronics being integrated on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0021 Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0078 Constitution or structural means for improving mechanical properties not provided for in B81B3/007 - B81B3/0075
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00238 Joining a substrate with an electronic processing unit and a substrate with a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00246 Monolithic integration, i.e. micromechanical structure and electronic processing unit are integrated on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/035 Soldering
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/036 Fusion bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/0728 Pre-CMOS, i.e. forming the micromechanical structure before the CMOS circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/0792 Forming interconnections between the electronic processing unit and the micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/226 Handheld or portable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2406 Electrostatic or capacitive probes, e.g. electret or cMUT-probes

Abstract

An ultrasonic transducer includes a membrane, a bottom electrode, and a plurality of cavities disposed between the membrane and the bottom electrode, each of the plurality of cavities corresponding to an individual transducer cell. Portions of the bottom electrode corresponding to each individual transducer cell are electrically isolated from one another. Each portion of the bottom electrode corresponds to each individual transducer that cell further includes a first bottom electrode portion and a second bottom electrode portion, the first and second bottom electrode portions electrically isolated from one another.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

forming a plurality of cavities in a first side of a first substrate;

for one or more of the plurality of cavities, forming first isolation trenches in the first side of the first substrate;

bonding a second substrate to the first substrate to seal the cavities; and

forming second isolation trenches in a second side of the first substrate;

the bonded first and second substrates defining an ultrasonic transducer substrate having a membrane, a bottom electrode, and the plurality of cavities disposed between the membrane and the bottom electrode, each of the plurality of cavities corresponding to an individual transducer cell;

wherein portions of the bottom electrode corresponding to each individual transducer cell are electrically isolated from one another by the second isolation trenches; and

each portion of the bottom electrode corresponding to each individual transducer cell further comprising a first bottom electrode portion and a second bottom electrode portion, the first and second bottom electrode portions electrically isolated from one another by the first isolation trenches.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming first isolation trenches in the first side of the first substrate further comprises:

forming a first insulating layer over the first side of the first substrate, including the plurality of cavities, the first substrate comprising a silicon material;

etching though the first insulating layer and into the silicon material to define the first isolation trenches; and

filling the first isolation trenches with one or more first insulating materials.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first insulating layer and the one or more first insulating materials comprise oxide.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more first insulating materials comprise thermal oxide and undoped polysilicon.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first isolation trenches are disposed within a footprint of the cavities.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

removing a portion of a second side of the first substrate to expose the filled first isolation trenches;

forming a second insulating layer over the second side of the first substrate and the filled first isolation trenches;

etching through the second insulating layer, into the silicon layer, and to the first insulating layer to define the second isolation trenches; and

filling the second isolation trenches with one or more second insulating materials.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second insulating layer and the one or more second insulating materials comprise oxide.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more second insulating materials comprise thermal oxide and undoped polysilicon.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising bonding the ultrasonic transducer substrate to an electrical substrate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein forming first isolation trenches in the first side of the first substrate further comprises:

forming a first insulating layer over the first side of the first substrate, including the plurality of cavities, the first substrate comprising a silicon material;

etching though the first insulating layer and into the silicon material to define the first isolation trenches; and

filling the first isolation trenches with one or more first insulating materials.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first insulating layer and the one or more first insulating materials comprise oxide.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more first insulating materials comprise thermal oxide and undoped polysilicon.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first isolation trenches are disposed within a footprint of the cavities.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

removing a portion of the second side of the first substrate to expose the filled first isolation trenches;

forming a second insulating layer over the second side of the first substrate and the filled first isolation trenches;

etching through the second insulating layer, into the silicon material, and to the first insulating layer to define the second isolation trenches; and

filling the second isolation trenches with one or more second insulating materials.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second insulating layer and the one or more second insulating materials comprise oxide.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more second insulating materials comprise thermal oxide and undoped polysilicon.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising, prior to bonding the ultrasonic transducer substrate to the electrical substrate:

forming contact openings in the second insulating layer to expose the bottom electrode; and

filling the contact openings with a conductive material.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second bottom electrode portions of an individual transducer cell are separately electrically addressable from one another.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the first bottom electrode portion comprises an inner bottom electrode with respect to a diameter of the transducer cell, and the second bottom electrode portion comprises an outer bottom electrode with respect to the diameter of the transducer cell.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the membrane serves as a top electrode for each of the individual transducer cells.

21. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrical substrate comprises one of:

a CMOS substrate, an analog circuit substrate, an interposer substrate, a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate, and a flexible substrate.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the electrical substrate comprises a CMOS substrate;

one of the first bottom electrode portion and the second bottom electrode portion is configured to perform a transmit function of a transducer cell; and

the other of the first bottom electrode portion and the second bottom electrode portion is configured to perform a receive function of the transducer cell.