Ultrasonic array with a high density of electrical connections
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
- a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array of parallel rows and parallel columns, said columns being disposed at an angle to said rows;
each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode;
each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element;
the portions of said signal conductors which are disposed over said array being disposed parallel to said columns;
each of the signal conductors associated with an element of a column being disposed over said column; and
at the edge of said array, two signal conductors which are disposed over a column being spaced apart by a ground conductor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A piezoelectric ultrasonic array transducer has its individual elements connected to external electronics via a high density interconnect structure which facilitates signal connection and uniformity from array-to-array. The array fabrication process is preferably modified for use with a high density interconnect structure in order to obtain maximum transducer quality.
91 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array of parallel rows and parallel columns, said columns being disposed at an angle to said rows; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element; the portions of said signal conductors which are disposed over said array being disposed parallel to said columns; each of the signal conductors associated with an element of a column being disposed over said column; and at the edge of said array, two signal conductors which are disposed over a column being spaced apart by a ground conductor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array of rows and columns; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode, a plurality of said elements in a column having their ground electrodes connected together; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element; the signal conductors for first and second ones of said elements in said column extending over said first element in said column and being disposed on the dielectric layer associated with said first element; and a further dielectric layer disposed over said dielectric layer associated with said first and second elements in said column, said further dielectric layer being disposed over said signal conductors for said first and second elements; and a ground conductor disposed on said further dielectric layer. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array of rows and columns; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode, a plurality of said elements in a column having their ground electrodes connected together; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element; the signal conductors for first and second ones of said elements in said column extending over said first element in said column; the elements of adjacent columns being spaced apart in the row direction; and within the array the dielectric layers for adjacent columns being spaced apart in the row direction.
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11. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array of rows and columns; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode, a plurality of said elements in a column having their ground electrodes connected together; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element; a first layer of dielectric material being disposed on said elements of one of said columns, said first layer of dielectric material being associated with first and second elements of that column; a first signal conductor extending over said first element, said first signal conductor being the one associated with said first element; a second signal conductor extending across said first element, said second signal conductor being the one associated with said second element; a second dielectric layer disposed over said first dielectric layer and said first and second signal conductors; and a ground conductor disposed on said second dielectric layer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array of rows and columns; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode, a plurality of said elements in a column having their ground electrodes connected together; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element; a first layer of dielectric material being disposed on said elements of one of said columns, said first layer of dielectric material being associated with first and second elements of that column; the elements of adjacent columns being spaced apart in the row direction; and within the array the dielectric layers for adjacent columns are spaced apart in the row direction.
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15. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element; and along said element, said dielectric material being restricted to the vicinity of said signal conductor. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element, and said back surface of said element being substantially free of said dielectric material except in the immediate vicinity of said signal conductors. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array; each of said elements including a signal electrode and a ground electrode; each of said elements having associated therewith a layer of dielectric material and a signal conductor, said associated signal conductor being disposed on said associated layer of dielectric material and being ohmically connected to said signal electrode of its associated element; and said layer of dielectric material comprising an acoustic absorbing material.
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20. An electrical connection system for an acoustic phased array transducer of the type having substantially more columns than rows and a center line which separates said columns into substantially equal halves, said electrical connection system comprising:
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a layer of dielectric material disposed over the elements of said array; a plurality of signal conductors disposed on said layer of dielectric material and ohmically connected to associated elements of said array, said signal conductors being spaced from said centerline, being disposed substantially parallel to the length of said columns and extending from the vicinity of the ohmic connection between said conductor and said associated element in a direction away from said centerline; and said layer of dielectric material having gaps between adjacent columns which extend substantially the full height of the columns. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. An electrical connection system for an acoustic phased array transducer of the type having substantially more columns than rows and a centerline which separates said columns into substantially equal halves, said electrical connection system comprising:
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a layer of dielectric material disposed over the elements of said array; a plurality of signal conductors disposed on said layer of dielectric material and ohmically connected to associated elements of said array, said signal conductors being spaced from said centerline, being disposed substantially parallel to the length of said columns and each extending from the vicinity of the ohmic connection between said conductor and said associated element in a direction away from said centerline; and
said layer of dielectric material being restricted to the immediate vicinity of said signal conductors whereby each signal conductor has a separate trace of said dielectric material associated therewith.
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23. A method of forming a connection system for connecting external electronics to the individual elements of a two dimensional ultrasonic acoustic array in which the elements area arranged in rows and columns, said method comprising:
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providing a body of piezoelectric material having conductive signal electrode material disposed on a back surface thereof; bonding a dielectric layer to the back of said body of piezoelectric material; creating via holes in said dielectric layer; forming a pattern of conductive material on said dielectric layer which comprises a plurality of separate signal conductors which are disposed in ohmic contact with said conductive signal electrode material at the bottoms of said via holes, said signal conductors being disposed substantially parallel to the lengths of columns of said array. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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Specification