Capacitive micromachine ultrasound transducer

• US 9,132,693 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Klootwijk, Johan H., Dirksen, Peter, Mulder, Marcel, Moonen, Elisabeth M. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tran
• Application Number:
  US13/062,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,198 Days
• Field of Search: 310/300, 310/309
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0292 Electrostatic transducers, e.g. electret-type
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 1/0292 the spoke being bent at both ends
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/006 of the gap-closing type H02N1/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/08 with conductive charge carrier, i.e. capacitor machines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer

Abstract

The patent application discloses a capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer, comprising a silicon substrate; a cavity; a first electrode, which is arranged between the silicon substrate and the cavity; wherein the first electrode is arranged under the cavity; a membrane, wherein the membrane is arranged above the cavity and opposite to the first electrode; a second electrode, wherein the second electrode is arranged above the cavity and opposite to the first electrode; wherein the second electrode is arranged in or close to the membrane, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are adapted to be supplied by a voltage; and a first isolation layer, which is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first isolation layer comprises a dielectric. It is also described a system for generating or detecting ultrasound waves, wherein the system comprises a transducer according to the patent application. Further, it is disclosed a method for manufacturing a transducer according to the patent application, wherein the transducer is manufactured with the help of a CMOS manufacturing process, wherein the transducer can be manufactured as a post-processing feature during a CMOS process.

Claims

1. A capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer, comprising:

a silicon substrate;

a cavity;

a first electrode, which is arranged between the silicon substrate and the cavity;

wherein the first electrode is arranged under the cavity;

a membrane, wherein the membrane is arranged above the cavity and opposite to the first electrode;

a second electrode, wherein the second electrode is arranged above the cavity and opposite to the first electrode;

wherein the second electrode is arranged in or close to the membrane, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are adapted to be supplied by a voltage;

a first isolation layer, which is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first isolation layer further comprises a first sublayer which comprises an oxide, and a second sublayer which comprises a nitride, and

a second isolation layer, wherein the second isolation layer is arranged between the second electrode and the cavity, wherein the first isolation layer is arranged between the first electrode and the cavity, wherein the second isolation layer comprises a dielectric.

2. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric is a higher-k layer comprising nitride, aluminium oxide or hafnium oxide or an ONO layer.

3. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the cavity has a pressure below 1 atm.

4. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode is embedded in the membrane.

5. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the transducer is at least one transducer type out of a group of transducer types, wherein the group of transducer types consists of a collapsed transducer type, a pre-collapsed transducer type, a flex transducer type and a combination of these types.

6. A system for generating or detecting ultrasound waves, wherein the system comprises a transducer according to claim 1.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the system further comprises a linear array or a two-dimensional array of transducers.

8. A method for manufacturing a transducer according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

building the transducer on a silicon substrate;

providing the transducer with a first and a second electrode arranged on either side of a cavity;

maintaining the temperature of the process used to manufacture the transducer below 400°

C.; and

arranging at least one isolation layer, comprising at least an oxide sublayer and a nitride sublayer, between the first and second electrodes.

9. A method for manufacturing a transducer according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

manufacturing the transducer as a post-processing feature during a CMOS process.

10. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the first isolation layer further comprises a third sublayer which comprises an oxide.

11. The transducer according to claim 1, further comprising a third sublayer comprising oxide, wherein the second sublayer is arranged between the first sublayer and the third sublayer.

12. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the oxide comprises an oxide thickness of at least 5 nm.

13. The transducer according to claim 3, wherein the cavity further comprises a vacuum cavity.

14. The transducer according to claim 1 wherein the first isolation layer comprises at least one of SiO₂ or Si₃N₄.

15. The transducer according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric comprises aluminum oxide or hafnium oxide.