CMUT packaging for ultrasound system
First Claim
1. A method of packaging an ultrasonic system, the method comprising:
- disposing, on a substrate, a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) and an integrated circuit (IC);
applying an insulation layer of a first material and a conductive layer of a second material to the substrate and at least one of the CMUT or the IC;
removing the substrate to obtain a subassembly comprising;
the insulation layer,the conductive layer,the CMUT, andthe IC; and
shaping the subassembly to have at least one curved part.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Ultrasonic scanners and methods of manufacturing ultrasonic scanners. One embodiment of a method includes integrating a flexible electronic device (e.g. an IC) and a flexible ultrasonic transducer (e.g. a portion of a circular CMUT array) with a flexible member. The IC, the transducer, and the flexible member can form a flexible subassembly which is rolled up to form an ultrasonic scanner. The integration of the IC and the transducer can occur at the same time. In the alternative, the integration of the electronic device can occur before the integration of the transducer. Moreover, the integration of the transducer can include using a semiconductor technique. Furthermore, the rolled up subassembly can form a lumen or can be attached to a lumen. The method can include folding a portion of the flexible subassembly to form a forward looking transducer. The flexible member of some subassemblies can include a pair of arms.
54 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method of packaging an ultrasonic system, the method comprising:
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disposing, on a substrate, a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) and an integrated circuit (IC); applying an insulation layer of a first material and a conductive layer of a second material to the substrate and at least one of the CMUT or the IC; removing the substrate to obtain a subassembly comprising; the insulation layer, the conductive layer, the CMUT, and the IC; and shaping the subassembly to have at least one curved part. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An ultrasonic system comprising:
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a plurality of electronic integrated circuits (ICs); an ultrasonic transducer; and a flexible member extending between and integrated with the ICs and the ultrasonic transducer, the flexible member including at least one insulation layer and at least one conductive layer, wherein the flexible member is shaped into a folded configuration so that at least one of the ICs is stacked over another one of the ICs, the ultrasonic transducer is stacked over the stacked ICs, and at least a portion of the flexible member defines a layer between the ultrasonic transducer and the stacked ICs. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic system, the method comprising:
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providing a substrate with a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT); patterning an insulation layer onto the substrate and the CMUT; patterning a conductive layer onto a portion of the insulation layer, the conductive layer conductively connecting to the CMUT, wherein the CMUT, the insulation layer, and the conductive layer make up at least a portion of a flexible subassembly; removing the flexible subassembly from the substrate; and shaping the flexible subassembly. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A method comprising:
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disposing a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) on a wafer; applying an insulation layer of a first material and a conductive layer of a second material to the wafer and the CMUT; removing the wafer to obtain a subassembly comprising; the insulation layer, the conductive layer, and the CMUT; and shaping the subassembly to have at least one curved part. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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Specification