Ultrasonic image pickup apparatus

An ultrasonic image pickup apparatus using an electrostatic capacity type micro-machined ultrasonic transducer as an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic image pickup apparatus comprising a transmission/reception control unit that:

• transmits an ultrasonic wave by applying a DC bias voltage and an AC driving voltage between electrodes of the electrostatic capacity type micro-machined ultrasonic transducer;
• and
• picks up an image by transmitting and receiving two or more kinds of ultrasonic waveforms which have different signs, amplitudes, or phases from each other for one scanning line,
• wherein the ultrasonic image pickup apparatus uses a voltage waveform that is obtained by adding:
• a high frequency pulse waveform;
• and
• a low frequency waveform that has a longer cycle than that of the high frequency pulse waveform and has such a voltage amplitude as makes the total voltage of the low frequency waveform and the DC bias voltage equal or smaller than a pull-in voltage, and that smoothly changes in accordance with an arbitrary function as the AC driving voltage
• for at least one kind of transmission ultrasonic wave of the two or more kinds of the transmission ultrasonic waves.