High volume manufacture of single element ultrasound transducers

Abstract

A single element ultrasound transducer is fabricated from a laminate plate which produces multiple transducer elements simultaneously. The laminate plate includes the piezo ceramic, matching layer, and backing layer with rear electrode. The laminate plate is diced while mounted on nitto tape to retain the individual elements in position after dicing. The sides of the elements are covered with an insulating coating, which permits the transducer elements to be surface mounted on flex circuit by bonding the rear electrode to a signal conductor of the flex circuit and the matching layer to a return conductor by metallically coating the mounted transducer element and return conductor on the flex circuit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.