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US 8,541,853 B1Granted
High frequency CMUT
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsSteven Adler, Peter Johnson, Ira Oaktree Wygant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A high-frequency capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) has a silicon membrane and an overlying metal silicide layer that together form a conductive structure which can vibrate over a cavity. The CMUT also has a metal structure that touches a group of conductive structures. The metal structure has an opening that extends completely through the metal structure to expose the conductive structure.
Claims18
A transducer structure comprising:
- a substrate having a conductivity type and a surface region;
- a post structure that touches the substrate, the post structure having a top surface and being non-conductive;
- a first conductive structure that touches the top surface of the post structure, the first conductive structure having a top surface and lying over and spaced apart from the surface region of the substrate, the top surface of the first conductive structure having a central region and a surrounding peripheral region;
- and
- a second conductive structure that touches the peripheral region of the first conductive structure, the second conductive structure having an opening that extends completely through the second conductive structure to expose the central region of the top surface of the first conductive structure;
- wherein the second conductive structure touches the top surface of the post structure.
3 more elements
A method of forming a transducer structure comprising:
- forming a post structure that touches a substrate, the post structure having a top surface and being non-conductive, the substrate having a conductivity type and a surface region;
- forming a first conductive structure that touches the top surface of the post structure, the first conductive structure having a top surface and lying over and spaced apart from the surface region of the substrate, the top surface of the first conductive structure having a central region and a surrounding peripheral region;
- and
- forming a second conductive structure that touches the peripheral region of the first conductive structure, the second conductive structure having an opening that extends completely through the second conductive structure to expose the central region of the top surface of the first conductive structure;
- wherein the second conductive structure touches the top surface of the post structure.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.