Aerogel backed ultrasound transducer
First Claim
1. A catheter comprising:
- an elongate tubular member;
an ultrasound transducer having an acoustic element for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves; and
an acoustic backing material attached to a back side of said acoustic element, said acoustic backing layer made of a non-conductive aerogel material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ultrasound transducer having an acoustic backing layer made of an aerogel material is disclosed. The ultrasound transducer comprises an acoustic element for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves. An aerogel acoustic backing layer is bonded to the back side of the acoustic element. A matching layer may be attached to the front side of the acoustic element. The ultrasound transducer may be electrically connected using electrodes directly connected to the acoustic element. Alternatively, the aerogel acoustic backing may be coated with a metalized layer or doped so that it is electrically conductive. Then, the electrodes may be connected directly to the aerogel acoustic backing.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A catheter comprising:
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an elongate tubular member;
an ultrasound transducer having an acoustic element for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves; and
an acoustic backing material attached to a back side of said acoustic element, said acoustic backing layer made of a non-conductive aerogel material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20, 21)
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15. An catheter comprising:
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an elongate tubular member;
an acoustic element for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves;
an acoustic backing material attached to a back side of said acoustic element, said acoustic backing layer made of a non-conductive aerogel material, and a matching layer attached to a front side of said acoustic element; and
wherein said acoustic element is configured to emit a higher frequency spectrum than an acoustic element optimized for a heavy acoustic backing material. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification