Ultrasound probe, particularly for diagnostic imaging

An ultrasound probe particularly for diagnostic purposes comprising:

• a first array of ultrasound transducers capable of generating ultrasound waves by electric excitation and of transforming ultrasound waves impinging on said transducers into electric signals;
• each of said transducers being provided with a plurality of contact electrodes which are connected respectively to a ground potential and to conductors for transmitting or receiving an electric signal;
• each of said transducers being at least electrically isolated form the adjacent surrounding ones of said transducers of said array;
• said array of transducers being covered on a side formed by the ultrasound emitting surfaces of said transducers by means of at least one matching layer for adapting the acoustical impedance of said transducer array to the acoustical impedance of the body to be examined in order to avoid abrupt changes in the acoustic impedance which would generate reflection surfaces preventing said ultrasound waves from penetrating within said body to be examined;
• said first array of transducers comprising transducers configured for generating and transmitting said ultrasound waves;
• a second array of transducers being disposed over said first array of transducers, said second array of transducers comprising receiving transducers configured for generating electric signals due to acoustic excitation of said transducers of said second array of transducers by impinging or reflected ultrasound waves;
• said second array of transducers being formed by a material having piezoelectric behaviour and an acoustic impedance intermediate to said acoustic impedance of said first array of transducers and of said body under examination, forming at the same time one of said matching layers covering said first array of transducers on a side thereof oriented in the direction of propagation of said ultrasound waves emitted by said first array of transducers.