Transducer structure for a transducer probe and methods of fabricating same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMatthew Harvey Krohn, Prabhjot Singh, Paul Aloysius Meyer, Wei Luo
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Abstract
A composite ceramic transducer structure for use in the construction of an ultrasound probe includes a substrate and a plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts. The plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts are controllably formed on the substrate in a plurality of spatial positions located on an X-Y plane of the substrate. The plurality of piezoelectric posts includes a plurality of shapes defined in an X-Y-Z plane of the substrate, wherein the plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts are configured to facilitate minimizing shear waves within the ultrasound probe.
Claims20
A composite ceramic transducer structure for use in the construction of an ultrasound probe, said structure comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts controllably formed on said substrate in a plurality of spatial positions located on an X-Y plane of said substrate, said plurality of piezoelectric posts comprising a plurality of shapes defined in an X-Y-Z plane of said substrate, said plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts are configured to facilitate minimizing shear waves within the ultrasound probe.
A method for manufacturing a ceramic transducer structure for use in the construction of an ultrasound probe, the method comprising:
- forming a substrate layer;
- forming a layer on the substrate layer, the layer comprising a transducer material and a photopolymer;
- and
- exposing a plurality of selected regions of the layer to a programmable light pattern to controllably cure the selected regions of the layer to facilitate forming a plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts having a plurality of spatial positions located on an X-Y plane of the substrate and having a plurality of shapes in an X-Y-Z plane of the substrate, the piezoelectric transducer posts are configured to facilitate minimizing shear waves and maintaining longitudinal waves within the ultrasound probe.
An ultrasound probe, the probe comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts controllably formed on said substrate in a plurality of spatial positions on an X-Y plane of said substrate, said plurality of piezoelectric posts comprising a plurality of shapes defined in an X-Y-Z plane of said substrate, said plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts are configured to facilitate minimizing shear waves and maintaining longitudinal waves within the ultrasound probe;
- a filler circumscribed around said piezoelectric transducer posts on the substrate;
- and
- an electrical contact coupled to said plurality of piezoelectric transducer posts to facilitate converting electrical energy into ultrasonic energy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.