Techniques for producing an acousto-optical component or a wide-band ultrasonic component

Abstract

An acousto-optical component or other high frequency and wide-band ultrasonic component comprises a piezoelectric transducer and a crystalline or glass sound medium which are bonded together by a multi-layer metal molecular adhesion bond. During fabrication, the surfaces of the piezoelectric body and the sound medium which are to be connected are first polished to a degree of smoothness which is well below that of a Newton ring. These surfaces are then completely cleansed and a first metal layer having a thickness of 0.5-2 nm is vapor deposited onto each the cleansed surfaces. Next, a second metal layer having a thickness of 5-20 nm is vapor deposited onto each of the first layers. The transducer is then applied, by molecular adhesion, to the sound medium. To form a strong and reliable bond, only moderate pressures of about 250 to 1500 psi are necessary. A metal layer having a thickness of 0.3-0.6 .mu.m is vapor deposited over an extending portion of the multi-layer bond as a terminal for connection to a high frequency supply. Subsequently, the transducer is ground to a desired thickness in order to obtain a desired resonant frequency and a second electrode is applied to another surface of the piezoelectric body for connection to the high frequency supply.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.