Ultrasound array having trapezoidal oscillator elements and a method and apparatus for the manufacture thereof
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsWolfram Wersing, Karl Lubitz, Reinhard Lerch, Hans Kaarmann, Martina Vogt
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Abstract
An ultrasound array has a number of oscillator elements arranged side-by-side, each oscillator element having a trapezoidal cross-section. The oscillator elements are separated from each other by incisions having non-parallel walls, which are co-planar with surfaces of the piezoelectric material comprising the oscillator element. The incisions terminate in a damping member, to which all of the oscillator elements are attached. The incisions are produced with an excimer laser whose laser beam is focused onto a prepared layered material, with the incisions proceeding along a line.
Claims10
An ultrasound array comprising:
- a plurality of identical separated side-by-side oscillator elements each having a core of piezoelectric material and first and second spaced trapezoidal electrode surfaces at opposite sides of the core coated with electrode material, said first electrode surface facing an emission direction of the array and, said second electrode surface being disposed at a base region of the array, said first electrode surface being smaller in area in a plane substantially normal to said emission direction than said second electrode surface, and each oscillator element further having first and second non-parallel boundary surfaces extending between said first and second electrode surfaces so that each oscillator element has a cross-section which changes identically in a direction from said second electrode surface to said first electrode surface.
An ultrasound array comprising:
- a carrier;
- a plurality of identical side-by-side oscillator elements disposed on said carrier, each oscillator element having first and second spaced trapezoidal electrode surfaces coated with electrode material, said first surface facing an emission direction of the oscillator elements and said second electrode surface being adjacent said carrier, said first surface being smaller in area in a plane substantially normal to said emission direction and each oscillator element further having first and second substantially planar, non-parallel boundary surfaces extending between said first and second electrode surfaces so that each oscillator element has a trapezoidal cross-section between said first and second boundary surfaces;
- and
- said carrier having a plurality of parallel V-shaped incisions, each incision having spaced walls and said oscillator elements being disposed between said incisions with the walls of said incision being substantially co-planar with the respective boundary surfaces of the oscillator elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.