Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer array with through-substrate electrical connection and method of fabricating same
First Claim
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1. A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) structure, comprising:
- a plurality of CMUT elements, each CMUT element comprising;
at least one CMUT device that includes;
a high conductivity substrate having a front side and a backside;
an insulating layer disposed on the front side of the high conductivity substrate and forming CMUT device dielectric walls;
a membrane layer supported by the insulating layer dielectric walls;
a cavity formed between the membrane layer and the substrate; and
an electrode on the backside of the substrate for controlling of the CMUT device through the substrate; and
at least first and second isolation spaces formed in the substrate on at least two sides of the CMUT element and extending from the substrate backside through the substrate to the substrate front side for electrically isolating the plurality of CMUT elements from one another.
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Abstract
The embodiments of the present invention provide a CMUT array and method of fabricating the same. The CMUT array has CMUT elements individually or respectively addressable from a backside of a substrate on which the CMUT array is fabricated. In one embodiment, a CMUT array is formed on a front side of a very high conductivity silicon substrate. Through wafer trenches are etched into the substrate from the backside of the substrate to electrically isolate individual CMUT elements formed on the front side of the substrate. Electrodes are formed on the backside of the substrate to individually address the CMUT elements through the substrate.
65 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) structure, comprising:
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a plurality of CMUT elements, each CMUT element comprising; at least one CMUT device that includes; a high conductivity substrate having a front side and a backside; an insulating layer disposed on the front side of the high conductivity substrate and forming CMUT device dielectric walls; a membrane layer supported by the insulating layer dielectric walls; a cavity formed between the membrane layer and the substrate; and an electrode on the backside of the substrate for controlling of the CMUT device through the substrate; and at least first and second isolation spaces formed in the substrate on at least two sides of the CMUT element and extending from the substrate backside through the substrate to the substrate front side for electrically isolating the plurality of CMUT elements from one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification