Ultrasound interconnect stack and method of manufacturing same
AssigneeDarkVision Technologies Inc.
InventorsMichael Halpenny-Mason, Jeffrey Scott Jordan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An acoustic device and method of manufacturing same. The device may be used to inspect tubulars and parts with high resolution. The acoustic device may include a 2D ultrasonic transducer layer and an ASIC connected to each other by an array of conductive wires. A non-conductive, acoustic damping material is flowed and set around the wires, to form a thick acoustic backing layer. Manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer may involve wire bonding. Electrical Discharge Machining or supporting rigid posts on a substrate. A surface of the backing layer may be machined, plated and diced to create conductive pads to connect the transducer layer to the wires then to the ASIC.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer comprising the steps of:
- a. providing an ultrasonic transducer layer having a two-dimensional array of electrodes defining ultrasonic elements;
- b. providing an electrical interconnect layer having a two-dimensional array of bond pads;
- c. providing a two-dimensional array of conductive wires;
- d. flowing a non-conductive, acoustic damping material around the wires;
- e. setting the non-conductive, acoustic damping material to form an acoustic backing layer having a thickness of at least 4 mm;
- and
- f. electrically coupling the conductive wires at their first ends to the bond pads of the electrical interconnect layer and at their second ends to the electrodes of the ultrasonic transducer layer.
An acoustic device comprising:
- a. an ultrasonic transducer layer having a two-dimensional array of electrodes defining ultrasonic elements;
- b. an electrical interconnect layer having a two-dimensional array of bond pads;
- c. a two-dimensional array of conductive wires, electrically coupled at their first ends to the bond pads of the electrical interconnect layer and at their second ends to the electrodes of the ultrasonic transducer layer;
- and
- d. a non-conductive, acoustic damping material formed around the wires, to form an acoustic backing layer having a thickness of at least 4 mm.
A method of manufacturing an ultrasound stack comprising the steps of:
- wire bonding a plurality of wires between first conductive pads of a first support substrate and second conductive pads of a second support substrate;
- and
- flowing a non-conductive, acoustic damping material around the wires to set and form an acoustic backing layer that is 4-6 mm thick,
- wherein the first support substrate is a two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array or the plurality of wires are connected at first ends to said two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array, and wherein the second support substrate is a two-dimensional electrical interconnect layer or the plurality of wires are connected at second ends to said two-dimensional electrical interconnect layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.