STRETCHABLE ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER DEVICES

• US 20190328354A1
• Filed: 01/10/2018
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: XU, Sheng, ZHANG, Lin, WANG, Chonghe, HU, Hongjie, LI, Xiaoshi
• Application Number:
  US16/477,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20190328354A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/04 Measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4455 Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4494 characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements devices for short-range imaging using particular transducer elements arrangements under G01S15/8909; arrangements of transducers in generation of mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency B06B1/0607
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0685 on the back only of piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/76 Medical, dental
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/073 by fusion of metals or by adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/852 Composite materials, e.g. having 1-3 or 2-2 type connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/875 Further connection or lead arrangements, e.g. flexible wiring boards, terminal pins

Abstract

A conformable piezoelectric transducer array for performing ultrasound or the like includes a silicone elastomer substrate and a silicone elastomer superstrate. A plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements are disposed between the substrate and superstrate. A first electrical interconnect layer electrically interconnects a first surface of the transducer elements adjacent to the substrate and a second electrical interconnect layer electrically interconnecting a second surface of the transducer elements adjacent to the superstrate.

Claims

1. A conformable piezoelectric transducer array, comprising:

a silicone elastomer substrate and a silicone elastomer superstrate;

a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements disposed between the substrates and superstrate;

a first electrical interconnect layer electrically interconnecting a first surface of the transducer elements adjacent to the substrate; and

a second electrical interconnect layer electrically interconnecting a second surface of the transducer elements adjacent to the superstrate.

2. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 1, wherein at least one of the transducer elements comprises a 1-3 composite material.

3. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 2, wherein each of the transducer elements comprises a 1-3 composite material.

4. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrical interconnect layers have patterned island and bridge structure that includes a plurality of islands electrically interconnected by bridges, each of the transducer elements being supported by one of the islands.

5. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 4, wherein the bridges have a serpentine configuration.

6. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrical interconnect layers includes a bilayer formed from a metal layer and a polyimide layer.

7. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 6, wherein the metal layer is a copper layer.

8. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 1, further comprising a conductive vibration damping element disposed between each of the transducer elements and the superstrate.

9. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 8, wherein the conductive vibration damping element includes a conductive epoxy.

10. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transducer elements includes an array of transducer elements, the first and second interconnect layers being configured so that each of the transducer elements in the array is individually addressable.

11. The conformable piezoelectric transducer array of claim 1, wherein one of the first or second electrically interconnect layers include a plurality of electrical interconnect layers electrically isolated from one another.

12. A method of forming a conformable piezoelectric transducer array, comprising:

bonding each of a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements to a conductive vibration damping backing element;

patterning a plurality of electrical interconnect sheets to define a plurality of patterned sheets each having a patterned island and bridge structure that includes a plurality of islands electrically interconnected by bridges;

transfer printing first and second ones of the patterned sheets to a silicone elastomer substrate and a silicone elastomer superstrate, respectively.

bonding a surface of each of the piezoelectric transducer elements to the transferred pattern on the substrate;

bonding a surface of each of the conductive damping backing elements to the transferred patterned on the superstrate;

filling gaps between the substrate and the superstrate with silicone elastomer material.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements is bonded to a conductive vibration damping backing element using a conductive epoxy.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a surface of each of the piezoelectric transducer elements is bonded to the transferred pattern on the substrate using a solder paste.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the electrical interconnect sheets each include a bilayer formed from a metal layer and a polyimide layer.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising patterning each of the electrical interconnect sheets using pulsed laser ablation.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second patterned sheet includes a plurality of the patterned sheets laminated to one another, the patterned sheets being separated from one another with an insulating layer.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising bonding a surface of each of the piezoelectric transducer elements to the transferred pattern on the substrate such that each of the transducer elements are located on one of the islands located on the transferred pattern on the substrate.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the transducer elements comprises a 1-3 composite material.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the transducer elements comprises a 1-3 composite material.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the bridges have a serpentine configuration.

22. A method of monitoring a subject using ultrasound, comprising:

attaching a conformable piezoelectric transducer array having a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements on a surface of a subject by van der Waals alone such that the conformable piezoelectric transducer array conforms to a shape of the surface;

transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject using the array;

receiving ultrasound waves from the subject using the array; and

displaying an indication of the received ultrasound waves.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the shape of the surface is non-planar.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the subject is a patient and the surface is an epidermis of the patient.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein displaying an indication of the received ultrasound waves includes continuously monitoring activities of one or more internal organs over an extended period of time.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein monitoring activities of one or more internal organs includes monitoring blood vessel wall motion.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising translating the blood vessel wall motion into a central blood pressure waveform.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the subject is a structural component and further comprising analyzing the received ultrasound waves for non-destructive evaluation of the structural component for identifying internal flaws in the structural component.

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising reconstructing an image of a portion of the subject using matched field processing.