Ultrasound transducer and method of producing the same
AssigneeForschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
InventorsKlaus Schlote-Holubek, Georg Gobel, Rainer Stotzka
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Abstract
In an ultrasound transducer arrangement comprising at least one piezoelectric body with a lower and an upper electrode and a coupling layer including a wafer on which the ultrasound transducers are disposed and are connected to the lower electrode, a conductor structure of uniform height is disposed on the wafer and is in contact with the lower electrode and any space between the piezoelectric body and the wafer is completely filled with a cement material.
Claims15
An ultrasound transducer comprising:
- a) at least one piezoelectric body (1, 11) with at least a lower and an upper electrode (5),
- b) a coupling layer comprising at least one wafer (7) on which the ultrasound transducer is connected to the lower electrode,
- c) conductor structures (9, 12) of uniform conductor height disposed on the wafer below the piezoelectric bodies which are in contact with the lower electrode and disposed in spaced relationship from the wafer surface, and
- d) the space (10) between the wafer and the piezo electric body at opposite sides of the conductor structure being completely filled with a binding material.
A method of manufacturing ultrasound transducer structures, comprising the following steps:
- a) providing at least one piezoelectric body, each having at least a lower and an upper electrode and including a wafer serving as a coupling layer,
- b) placing onto the wafer a conductor structure with a uniform conductor thickness,
- c) applying a binding agent to the conductor structure on the wafer,
- d) placing the piezoelectric body with the lower electrode thereof onto the binding agent, and
- e) pressing the body with the lower electrode onto the binding agent thereby squeezing the binding agent so that the binding agent spreads over the whole lower electrode and fills any space remaining between the wafer and the piezoelectric body next to the conductor structure and an electric contact is established between the conductor structure and the lower electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.