Micromachined ultrasonic transducer cells having compliant support structure
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsLowell Scott Smith, Douglas G. Wildes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A micromachined ultrasonic transducer array comprising a multiplicity of cMUT cells built on a substrate. Each cMUT cell comprises a compliant support structure built on the substrate, a membrane supported over a cavity by the compliant support structure, a first electrode supported by the membrane, and a second electrode that forms a capacitor with the first electrode, the cavity being disposed between the first and second electrodes. The compliant support structure uncouples the non-membrane outer surface of each cMUT cell from the supporting substrate.
Claims16
A cMUT cell array comprising a plurality of groups of cMUT cells, wherein each group comprises a compliant support structure, a first membrane supported over a first cavity by said compliant support structure, a first electrode supported by said first membrane, a second electrode that forms a capacitor with said first electrode, said first cavity being disposed between said first and second electrodes, a second membrane supported over a second cavity by said compliant support structure, a third electrode supported by said second membrane and hard-wired to said first electrode, and a fourth electrode hard-wired to said second electrode and arranged to form a capacitor with said third electrode, said second cavity being disposed between said third and fourth electrodes, and a portion of said compliant support structure being disposed between said first and second cavities, wherein the first or second electrode of a first group of the plurality of groups is not hard wired to the first or second electrode of a second group of the plurality of groups.
A cMUT cell array comprising a compliant support structure, a first membrane supported over a first cavity by said compliant support structure, a first electrode supported by said first membrane, a second electrode that forms a capacitor with said first electrode, said first cavity being disposed between said first and second electrodes, a second membrane supported over a second cavity by said compliant support structure, a third electrode supported by said second membrane and hard-wired to said first electrode, and a fourth electrode hard-wired to said second electrode and arranged to form a capacitor with said third electrode, said second cavity being disposed between said third and fourth electrodes, and a portion of said compliant support structure being disposed between said first and second cavities and having a cross section that resembles a double cantilevered beam, wherein the double cantilevered beam comprises a first ring-shaped wall built on a substrate, a first ring-shaped plate supported along one periphery by the first ring-shaped wall, a second ring-shaped wall built on the other periphery of the first ring-shaped plate, a second ring-shaped plate overlying the first ring-shaped plate and supported along one periphery by a wall therebetween, and a third ring-shaped wall built on the other periphery of the second ring-shaped plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.