Collective process for ultrasound transducers

A method for fabricating ultrasound transducers, comprising:

• providing a piezoelectric transducer layer at an initial thickness;
• forming an electrode on one surface of the piezoelectric transducer layer to form a signal surface of the piezoelectric transducer layer;
• positioning a de-matching layer against the signal surface opposite the piezoelectric transducer layer;
• positioning the de-matching layer and the piezoelectric transducer layer on a carrier;
• forming a plurality of isolation cuts through both the piezoelectric transducer layer and the de-matching layer, wherein the isolation cuts isolate the transducer elements from a ground path;
• filling the isolation cuts with a first material;
• forming a plurality of element cuts through both the piezoelectric transducer layer and the de-matching layer, wherein the element cuts run perpendicular to the isolation cuts and define transducer elements within each transducer array;
• filling the element cuts with the first material or a second material;
• grinding the piezoelectric transducer layer to a specified thickness;
• forming a plurality of initial dicing cuts through both the piezoelectric transducer layer and the de-matching layer, wherein the initial dicing cuts define two or more transducer arrays;
• forming a wrap-around ground electrode over the diced piezoelectric transducer layer and the de-matching layer, wherein the wrap-around ground electrode connects the signal surface and a ground surface of the piezoelectric transducer layer without blocking an acoustic path of respective transducer arrays;
• forming one or more acoustic matching layers over the piezoelectric transducer layer opposite the de-matching layer, wherein at least one acoustic matching layer is formed using additive manufacturing processes and wherein the one or more acoustic matching layers includes a plurality of additional cuts or voids through the one or more acoustic matching layers and corresponding to the initial dicing cuts;
• and
• releasing a stack assembly comprising at least the one or more acoustic matching layers, the piezoelectric transducer layer, and the de-matching layer from the carrier, wherein a plurality of transducer arrays corresponding to the stack assembly regions defined by the dicing cuts is released.

An ultrasound transducer array, comprising:

• a piezoelectric transducer layer comprising a signal electrode on a signal surface of the piezoelectric transducer layer;
• a de-matching layer positioned on the signal surface side of the piezoelectric transducer;
• a plurality of isolation cuts formed through both piezoelectric transducer layer and the de-matching layer and filled with a first material, wherein the isolation cuts isolate transducer elements from a ground path;
• a plurality of element cuts formed through both the piezoelectric transducer layer and the de-matching layer and running perpendicular to the isolation cuts, wherein the plurality of element cuts are filled with the first material or a second material and define transducer elements within each transducer array;
• a wrap-around ground electrode formed over the piezoelectric transducer layer and the de-matching layer, wherein the wrap-around ground electrode connects the signal surface and a ground surface of the piezoelectric transducer layer without blocking an acoustic path of respective transducer arrays;
• and
• one or more acoustic matching layers formed over the piezoelectric transducer layer opposite the de-matching layer, wherein at least one acoustic matching layer is formed using additive manufacturing processes.