Monolithic micromachined piezoelectric acoustic transducer and transducer array and method of making same
First Claim
1. A monolithic micromechanical piezoelectric acoustic transducer with integrated control circuit, comprising:
- a support member, wherein said support member includes a flexible membrane for concentrating acoustic energy and wherein said flexible membrane includes at least one peripheral slot for increasing its flexibility;
a piezoelectric medium disposed on said support member;
first and second electrodes engaging said piezoelectric medium; and
a control circuit monolithically integrated with said piezoelectric medium and electrodes on said support member and including a switching circuit for selectively interconnecting said electrodes with an I/O bus and a signal processing circuit for conditioning signals propagating between said electrodes and I/O bus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A monolithic micromechanical piezoelectric acoustic transducer with integrated control circuit includes a support member; a piezoelectric medium disposed on the support member; first and second electrodes engaging the piezoelectric medium; and a control circuit monolithically integrated with the piezoelectric medium and electrodes on the support member and including a switching circuit for selectively interconnecting the electrodes with an I/O bus and a signal processing circuit for conditioning signals propagating between the electrodes and the I/O bus; an array of such acoustic transducers that form an acoustic retina; and a method of making such transducers and arrays.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A monolithic micromechanical piezoelectric acoustic transducer with integrated control circuit, comprising:
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a support member, wherein said support member includes a flexible membrane for concentrating acoustic energy and wherein said flexible membrane includes at least one peripheral slot for increasing its flexibility; a piezoelectric medium disposed on said support member; first and second electrodes engaging said piezoelectric medium; and a control circuit monolithically integrated with said piezoelectric medium and electrodes on said support member and including a switching circuit for selectively interconnecting said electrodes with an I/O bus and a signal processing circuit for conditioning signals propagating between said electrodes and I/O bus. - View Dependent Claims (5, 8, 9)
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2. A monolithic micromechanical piezoelectric acoustic transducer with integrated control circuit, comprising:
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a support member; a piezoelectric medium disposed on said support member; first and second electrodes engaging said piezoelectric medium; a control circuit monolithically integrated with said piezoelectric medium and electrodes on said support member and including a switching circuit for selectively interconnecting said electrodes with an I/O bus and a signal processing circuit for conditioning signals propagating between said electrodes and I/O bus; and wherein said support member includes an insulator layer and a backside cavity on the opposite face from said piezoelectric medium to allow sensing of acoustic energy from either side of the transducer.
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3. A monolithic micromechanical piezoelectric acoustic transducer with integrated control circuit, comprising:
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a support member; a piezoelectric medium disposed on said support member; first and second electrodes engaging said piezoelectric medium; a control circuit monolithically integrated with said piezoelectric medium and electrodes on said support member and including a switching circuit for selectively interconnecting said electrodes with an I/O bus and a signal processing circuit for conditioning signals propagating between said electrodes and I/O bus; and wherein said support member includes a flexible membrane for concentrating acoustic energy, in which said flexible membrane includes first and second vanes cantilevered from a central portion containing said piezoelectric medium. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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4. A monolithic micromechanical piezoelectric acoustic transducer with integrated control circuit, comprising:
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a support member; a piezoelectric medium disposed on said support member; first and second electrodes engaging said piezoelectric medium; a control circuit monolithically integrated with said piezoelectric medium and electrodes on said support member and including a switching circuit for selectively interconnecting said electrodes with an I/O bus and a signal processing circuit for conditioning signals propagating between said electrodes and I/O bus; and wherein said support member includes a flexible membrane for concentrating acoustic energy, in which said flexible membrane includes a plurality of spring regions and a plurality of piezoelectric membranes and electrodes disposed one at each of said spring regions. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification