Ultrasound probe with acoustic amplifier

A transducer assembly operable to transmit ultrasonic energy in a desired direction towards a zone adapted to be acoustically coupled to an object or area of interest, the transducer assembly comprising:

• a) a transducer layer having a having a thickness greater than a ¼ of the wavelength of the ultrasound waves the transducer assembly is configured to generate;
• b) a backing layer disposed behind the transducer layer with respect to the desired direction;
• c) a back-matching layer disposed between the transducer layer and the backing layer to reflect towards the transducer layer part of the ultrasonic energy directed from the transducer layer to the backing layer,
• wherein the back-matching layer has an impedance less than thean impedance of the transducer layer and comprises air bubble-glass microspheres or thermic expandable particles to control a density of a material forming the back-matching layer.

A process for manufacturing a transducer assembly operable to transmit ultrasonic energy in a desired direction towards a zone adapted to be acoustically coupled to an object or area of interest, the process comprising:

• providing a transducer layer having a thickness greater than a ¼ of the wavelength of the ultrasound waves the transducer assembly is configured to generate;
• providing a backing layer;
• providing a back-matching material having an acoustic impedance less than an acoustic impedance of the transducer layer;
• direct casting the back-matching material either on the backing layer to realize a back-matching material and backing layer subassembly or on the transducer layer to realize a transducer layer and back-matching material subassembly;
• bonding either the transducer layer with the back-matching material and backing layer subassembly or the transducer layer and back-matching material subassembly with the backing layer.

A process for manufacturing a transducer assembly operable to transmit ultrasonic energy in a desired direction towards a zone adapted to be acoustically coupled to an object or area of interest, the process comprising:

• providing a transducer layer having a thickness greater than a ¼ of the wavelength of the ultrasound waves the transducer assembly is configured to generate;
• providing a backing layer;
• providing a back-matching material having an acoustic impedance less than an acoustic impedance of the transducer layer;
• providing air bubble-glass microspheres or thermo-expandable microcapsules;
• adding the air bubble-glass microspheres or the thermo-expandable microcapsules to the back-matching material;
• mixing the back-matching material with the air bubble-glass microspheres or the thermo-expandable microcapsules;
• direct casting the back-matching material either on the backing layer to realize a back-matching material and backing layer subassembly or on the transducer layer to realize a transducer layer and back-matching material subassembly;
• bonding either the transducer layer with the back-matching material and backing layer subassembly or the transducer layer and back-matching material subassembly with the backing layer.