JP3431275B2 - Ultrasonic transducer and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer used in a medical or nondestructive ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer, and more particularly to a wiring connection method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of ultrasonic transducer, for example, one disclosed in JP-A-59-141060 is known. In this publication, after a piezoelectric element is bonded to an end of a holding member, the holding member, the piezoelectric element, and an adhesive are electrically connected by vapor deposition, sputtering, and plating to form a wiring to the piezoelectric element. Is shown. It is said that this method can improve the conversion efficiency of the piezoelectric element and obtain a high-quality beam.

In the current situation, there is an increasing demand for realizing a medical ultrasonic endoscope capable of diagnosing the pancreatic duct, circulatory organ and the like, and an industrial ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for performing nondestructive inspection of a thin tube. . In this case, since the outer shape of the probe that is built in or inserted into the narrow tube becomes extremely small, about 1 to several mm, it is necessary to downsize the ultrasonic transducer mounted therein. Further, for the circulatory system, the above probe needs to be disposable from the viewpoint of infection prevention. Due to these circumstances, it is required to manufacture a microminiature ultrasonic transducer at low cost.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, when manufacturing a small ultrasonic transducer having a size of about 1 mm or less, each member is extremely small, so that a micro assembly technique is required. At the same time, there is a problem that the positioning of each component becomes extremely difficult. As a result, problems such as an increase in manufacturing cost, a relative decrease in assembly accuracy, and a decrease in product quality typified by an increase in performance distribution width have occurred.

Further, the conventional technique has a problem that it is only possible to manufacture the transducers one by one, and it is not possible to meet the demand for cost reduction which can deal with disposability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a small-sized and highly accurate ultrasonic transducer at low cost.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, in an ultrasonic transducer of the present invention according to claim 1, a piezoelectric vibrator and an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator are provided. An ultrasonic transducer comprising a back load material formed on the other surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, wherein the piezoelectric vibrator is bonded to a piezoelectric element and a side surface of the piezoelectric element, and one surface of the piezoelectric element A first electrode terminal electrically connected to the electrode by a conductor thin film, and a first electrode terminal joined to one surface of the first electrode terminal and electrically connected to the other surface electrode of the piezoelectric element by a conductor thin film It is characterized in that it is configured with a second electrode terminal that is formed.

Further, in the ultrasonic transducer manufacturing method of the present invention according to claim 2, the piezoelectric vibrator, the acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and the other of the piezoelectric vibrator. In a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer including a back load material formed on a surface, the piezoelectric vibrator is connected to a side surface of the piezoelectric element with a plate-shaped first electrode terminal, and the first electrode terminal is connected. A plate-shaped second electrode terminal is bonded to one surface of the piezoelectric element so that the conductor surface is exposed, and then both surface electrodes of the piezoelectric element and the electrode terminals are electrically connected by a conductor thin film, respectively, and thereafter, It is characterized by cutting.

Further, in the ultrasonic transducer manufacturing method of the present invention according to claim 3, a piezoelectric vibrator, an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and the other of the piezoelectric vibrator are provided. In a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer including a back load material formed on a surface, forming a conductor thin film by forming at least one surface electrode of the piezoelectric element and electrically connecting the surface electrode and the electrode terminal. The feature is that they are performed simultaneously in the process.

An ultrasonic transducer of the present invention according to claim 4 is a piezoelectric vibrator, an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and an acoustic matching layer formed on the other surface of the piezoelectric vibrator. In the method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer including a back load material, the piezoelectric vibrator is electrically connected to a piezoelectric element and a side surface electrode of the piezoelectric element and a conductive thin film. It is characterized in that it is composed of a first electrode terminal that is connected and a second electrode terminal that is integrated with the back braking material and that is joined to the other surface electrode of the piezoelectric element. There is.

In the ultrasonic transducer manufacturing method of the present invention according to claim 5, the piezoelectric vibrator, the acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and the other of the piezoelectric vibrator are provided. In the method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer including a back load material formed on a surface, the piezoelectric vibrator includes a back damping material in which an intermediate electrode terminal is integrated on one surface of the piezoelectric element, and the back damping material and the intermediate electrode. The surface electrode of the piezoelectric element is joined in a state of being electrically connected, and a plate-shaped electrode terminal is further connected to the side surface of the piezoelectric element, and then the other surface electrode of the piezoelectric element and the electrode terminal are conductors. It is characterized in that it is electrically connected by a thin film and then cut.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the piezoelectric element surface electrode and the electrode terminal which constitute the ultrasonic transducer are mechanically and electrically connected, and the ultrasonic transducer can be driven through both electrode terminals.

In the second aspect, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers having the above structure are simultaneously assembled and manufactured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the production of the ultrasonic transducer having the above structure, the formation of the piezoelectric element surface electrode and the electrical connection between the piezoelectric element surface electrode and the electrode terminal are simultaneously performed.

Embodiments of an ultrasonic transducer and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016]

First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1
10 to 10 are perspective views showing ultrasonic transducers.

[Structure] As shown in FIG. 1, the piezoelectric element 1 is formed by forming a radiation-side surface electrode 3 and a back-side surface electrode 4 on both sides of a rectangular plate-shaped piezoelectric ceramic 2 by silver baking, and polarization. Has been done. The size of the piezoelectric element 1 is as wide as the height of the ultrasonic transducer after completion,
The length is equal to or more than a plurality of completed ultrasonic transducers. Further, the radiation surface side terminal plate 5 is made of a thin plate-shaped copper alloy. The rear terminal plate 6 is made of thin plate-shaped alumina ceramics whose surface has conductivity 7 added by a baked silver electrode.

[Manufacturing Method] First, as shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic transducer base material 8 is manufactured. The radiation surface side terminal plate 5 is bonded to the side surface of the piezoelectric element 1 with an epoxy adhesive (not shown). At this time, the adhesive layer secures about 30 μm.
Further, the back side terminal plate 6 is joined by an epoxy adhesive (not shown) so that its side surface is in close contact with the side surface of the piezoelectric element 1 and its bottom surface is in close contact with the upper surface of the radiation surface side terminal plate 5. To do.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the end face of the piezoelectric element 1 and the exposed portion of the radiation surface side terminal plate 5 are masked with a polyimide masking tape.

After that, as shown in FIG. 4, a conductive thin film 10 is formed on the entire surface of the ultrasonic transducer base material 8 by sputtering of Cr and Ag. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the mask 9 is peeled off, and the ultrasonic transducer base material 8 is cut into a predetermined width with a precision cutting grindstone to obtain an ultrasonic transducer 11 as shown in FIG.

Next, an acoustic matching layer 12 made of epoxy resin and a back braking material 13 in which zirconia ceramic particles are dispersed as a filler in an epoxy resin matrix are integrally formed on the ultrasonic transducer 11 to obtain a structure shown in FIG. The ultrasonic transducer 14 shown is formed. Here, the exposed portions of the radiation surface side terminal plate 5 and the back surface side terminal plate 6 are
It becomes the radiation surface side terminal 29 and the back surface side terminal 30, respectively.

[Operation] By the conductor thin film, the radiation surface side surface electrode 3, the back surface side surface electrode 4 and the radiation surface side terminal 2 of the piezoelectric element 1 are formed.
9. The back side terminal 30 is electrically connected. As a result, the ultrasonic transducer 14 transmits and receives signals by connecting a pulsar / observation device (not shown) to both terminals 29 and 30. Further, since the back surface electrode 4 is electrically insulated from the radiation surface terminal plate 5 by the adhesive layer when the piezoelectric element 1 is bonded, no short circuit occurs when a drive voltage is applied.

[Effect] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to construct a highly sensitive ultrasonic transducer capable of effectively operating the entire area of the piezoelectric element. Since this is a step of cutting each constituent member after assembling, the assembling accuracy can be increased, and a small-sized and high-performance ultrasonic transducer can be manufactured. Also, by changing the shape of the piezoelectric element and the cut width after assembly, the oscillation frequency and size can be changed in the same process, which is suitable for manufacturing various types of ultrasonic transducers.

In this embodiment, the case where the PZT type piezoelectric ceramics is used as the piezoelectric element is shown, but other perovskite type piezoelectric ceramics such as PT type, PLZT type and lead niobate type, PVDF is representative. It is also possible to use a polymer piezoelectric material, a composite piezoelectric material typified by a piezoelectric ceramics-resin composite material, a crystalline piezoelectric material typified by LiNbO, ZnO, or lead niobate.

Here, when the piezoelectric polymer is used for the ultrasonic transducer for medical use, the acoustic impedance thereof is close to that of the human body which is the ultrasonic medium, so that the acoustic matching layer can be omitted. Also, prior to this step,
It is necessary to increase the rigidity by backing it with a high-rigidity material such as ceramics or metal foil. Also,
When the crystal-based piezoelectric element is used, the piezoelectric characteristics are not deteriorated by temperature, so that an ultrasonic transducer excellent in environment resistance (under high temperature) can be obtained especially when applied to industrial use.

Similarly, for the surface electrode, in addition to silver baking, a baking electrode of Pd, Ag-Pd, etc., Ag, A
u, Cu, Ni, Cr, Ti, Mo, W, Ta, Zr,
Metals such as Al and their alloys or indium oxides,
Metal oxides such as ITO, borides such as TiB2 and ZrB2, carbides such as WC and SiC, MoSi2 and WS
A silicide such as i2 can be used. Further, as a forming method, sputtering, vacuum deposition, electroless plating, ion plating, CVD or the like can be used.

The shape is not fixed to a flat plate, but the cylindrical curved surface type piezoelectric element 15, the curved surface-planar type piezoelectric element 16 and the biconcave curved surface type piezoelectric element as shown in FIGS. A curved plate represented by various cylindrical concave plates such as 17 can be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the method of forming the acoustic matching layer and the backside damping material after cutting the ultrasonic transducer has been described, but it is also possible to form the ultrasonic transducer by cutting after forming these. It is possible.

Further, instead of a flat plate-like acoustic matching layer, an acoustic lens having a curved surface or having a sound velocity distribution therein can be used, and a plurality of acoustic matching layers may be used instead of a single layer. It is also possible to use a combination of

Similarly, in this embodiment, the conductor thin film is
Although the method of forming Cr and Ag by sputtering is shown, the method is not limited to this. The material of the conductor thin film is Ag, Au, Cu, Ni, Cr, Ti, Zr,
Metals such as Ta, Mo, W, Al and their alloys, indium oxides, metal oxides such as ITO, TiB2, Z
Borides such as rB2, carbides such as WC and SiC, M
A silicide such as oSi2 or WSi2 can be used.
Further, as a forming method, vacuum deposition, ion plating, CVD, thin film formation by a metal polymer can be used, and it is also possible to form a plurality of layers of conductor films by combining these. Further, particularly with respect to the back surface, by covering the piezoelectric element back surface on which the conductor thin film is formed and a part of the surface of the electrode plate with a conductive resin after forming the conductor thin film,
It is also possible to strengthen mechanically and electrically.

The same applies to the radiating surface side terminal plate, such as metal such as Cu, Al, SUS, Fe, Ni and Ti or alloys thereof such as SUS, brass and 42Allo.
y, the surface of the plate material made of insulating material such as ceramics such as FRP, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, alumina, zirconia, etc.
A baked electrode of g, Pd or the like, or a conductor made of the above-mentioned conductor thin film can be used. Similarly, for the back-side terminal plate, a metal plate whose one surface is made of resin to be an insulator, an insulating plate whose surface is made to be metal, and a laminated assembly of these can be used. The materials thereof are the same as those of the radiation surface side terminal plate.

As the adhesive, a polyimide-based resin, a phenol-based resin, a silicone-based resin, or an anaerobic adhesive can be used. Similarly, as the matrix material of the acoustic matching layer and the backside damping material, epoxy-based, polyimide-based, phenol-based, or silicone-based resin can be used. Further, particularly for the back braking material, in addition to the above, a rubber-like material typified by silicone rubber or neoprene rubber can be used as the matrix. As the filler, ceramics such as alumina, tungsten oxide, tungsten nitride and piezoelectric ceramics,
Metals and metal compounds such as tungsten, silver and ferrite can be used.

Further, in this embodiment, the piezoelectric element which is polarized is used prior to the process. However, by setting the temperature at the time of forming the conductive thin film to a high temperature of 100 ° C. or more,
It is possible to increase the adhesion strength of the film and take a step of repolarizing the piezoelectric element depolarized by this temperature rise after the film formation.

In addition to the precision cutting grindstone, laser cutting such as pulse oscillation or continuous wave oscillation YAG laser and CO2 laser, wire cutting and the like can be used for the cutting.

[0035]

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1
1 to 13 are perspective views illustrating a method of manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer of the second embodiment. In the description of the drawings, the same elements as those in the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. In this embodiment, the stepped type radiation surface side terminal plate 18 is used as the radiation surface side terminal plate. this is,
As shown in FIG. 11, a thin metal plate is bent to have steps.

[Manufacturing Method] As shown in FIG. 11, the piezoelectric element 1 and the back side terminal plate 6 are connected to each other by the stepped type radiation surface side terminal plate 18.
At the time of bonding, the piezoelectric element 1 and the backside terminal plate 6 are bonded to the stepped portion on the stepped type radiation surface side terminal plate 18 while being pressed. The subsequent steps are the same as in Example 1.

[Operation] The piezoelectric element 1 and the rear side terminal plate 6 to which the stepped portion on the stepped type radiation surface side terminal plate 18 is joined are positioned.

[Effect] According to this embodiment, it is possible to assemble with higher precision.

In the present embodiment, the stepped type radiation surface side terminal plate 18 is shown as a thin metal plate bent, but the thickness is changed by etching, thin plate lamination bonding, machining, etc. It is also possible to have different effects and to have the same effect. Also, regarding the shape, the same effect can be obtained even if the concave portions are combined instead of the configuration of only the convex portions as in the above embodiment.

[0040]

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1
4 to 15 are perspective views illustrating a method of manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the third embodiment. In the description of the drawings, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

[Structure] In the present embodiment, as the radiation surface terminal plate, the aperture type radiation surface side terminal plate 19 having a large number of elongated hole-shaped apertures 20 is used. The openings 20 are formed so that the pitch thereof is the same as or substantially the same as the pitch at the time of cutting in the subsequent process. The distance between the openings 20 is sufficiently narrower than the width of the vibrator when cut, and the length of the openings 20 is equal to or longer than the length of the cut vibrator.

[Manufacturing Method] The manufacturing method is the same as that of the first embodiment, but at the time of cutting, a surplus portion is cut at the central portion of the opening portion 20 or in the vicinity thereof and around the vibrator.
As shown in FIG. 5, only the radiation surface side terminal plate remaining portion 21 is left.

[Operation] At the time of cutting, no processing stress is applied to the joint portion between the aperture type radiation surface side terminal plate 19 and the piezoelectric element 1 and the rear side terminal plate 6.

[Effect] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to eliminate burrs generated on the radiation side terminal plate in the cutting process. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic transducer from being peeled off from the terminal plate by being pushed up by the burr, and to improve the yield. Further, since it is possible to prevent the occurrence of peeling during use of the product due to the same cause, it is possible to enhance the reliability of the product.

The pitch of the apertures may be the same in one radiation surface side electrode, or may be varied to manufacture a plurality of types of ultrasonic transducers having different widths. The present embodiment may be combined with the second embodiment.

[0045]

Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1
6 is a perspective view illustrating an ultrasonic transducer according to a fourth embodiment. In the description of the drawings, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

[Structure] In this embodiment, the vibrator after the cutting step shown in the first embodiment is further processed, and the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a polygonal vibrator 22 composed of a piezoelectric element having a polygonal planar shape is manufactured. For this additional machining, a precision cutting grindstone, a laser, a wire cut, or the like can be used similarly to the cutting.

[Operation] In this embodiment, the outer shape of the ultrasonic transducer can be arbitrarily set.

[Effect] According to the present embodiment, the outer shape of the ultrasonic transducer can be set according to the shape of the case (not shown) in which the ultrasonic transducer is mounted, so that the degree of freedom in design is increased. In addition to the above, it is possible to obtain an ultrasonic transducer having a maximum effective area for a case having an arbitrary shape. Note that this embodiment may be combined with the second and third embodiments.

[0049]

Fifth Embodiment Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1
7 to 20 are perspective views illustrating a method of manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the fifth embodiment. In the description of the drawings, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

[Structure] In this embodiment, the back side terminal plate 6 is not used, but the sandwiching type intermediate terminal 24 and the covering type intermediate terminal 25 are used.

[Manufacturing Method] As shown in FIGS.
Piezoelectric element-backside braking material joining member 2 in which the backside braking material 13 in which the intermediate terminals 24 and 25 are integrated into the piezoelectric element 1 is integrated
After 3 is formed, this is joined to the terminal board. Here, the intermediate terminals 24 and 25 are made of a copper alloy thin plate, are soldered to the back electrode 4 of the piezoelectric element 1, and penetrate the back braking material (24) or cover the periphery thereof (25). ). The subsequent steps are the same as in Example 1. After the cutting process is completed, the ultrasonic transducer 14 is formed as shown in FIGS.

[Operation] In this embodiment, the piezoelectric element 1 and the rear-side terminal plate 6 are electrically connected to each other through the intermediate terminals 24 and 25 and the conductor thin film.

[Effect] According to this embodiment, the piezoelectric element 1 and the back braking member 13 can be handled as one body.
Therefore, the strength of the member is increased, damage accidents during the manufacturing process can be prevented, and the yield can be improved. Further, since the bonding area between the piezoelectric element-back braking material bonding member 23 and other members is about several times larger than that in the case of the piezoelectric element 1 alone, the accuracy of the member assembly at the time of bonding and the accuracy of the adhesive layer thickness And the accuracy of the ultrasonic transducer can be further improved.

As the material of the intermediate terminal, in addition to the copper alloy shown in this embodiment, SUS, 42Alloy, Ni
A, etc., FRP wiring substrate, ceramic oxide substrate such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, zirconia
A baked electrode of g, Pd or the like, or a conductor made of the above-mentioned conductor thin film can be used. Also, the shape is not limited to a thin plate, and various types of bar materials
Wires can be used.

As a method of joining the intermediate terminal to the surface electrode of the piezoelectric element, a conductive resin is used in addition to solder.
By using an adhesive having an extremely low viscosity coefficient of 500 cps or less and pressing both members at the time of joining, a part of both members are brought into direct contact without a joining layer, and mechanically integrated by adhesion. Modifications such as later electrical connection with a conductor thin film and a configuration using only a conductor thin film are possible.

In particular, regarding the intermediate terminal of the type that covers the back braking material, all or part of the surface of the back braking material should be covered with a conductor such as a metal thin film, and the intermediate terminal should be formed during the formation of a conductor thin film in a later step. It is possible to perform formation at the same time. Further, by forming the back braking material with a conductive resin material in which a large amount of filler made of metal such as W or Ag is filled, it is possible to use the back braking material itself as an intermediate terminal. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0057]

Sixth Embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 2
1 to 22 are perspective views illustrating a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer according to a sixth embodiment. In the description of the drawings, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

[Structure] In this embodiment, the piezoelectric element 1 is used.
A part of the back surface electrode 4 which is in contact with the radiation side terminal plate via the bonding layer was partially removed to form the insulating gap 28.

[Manufacturing Method] As a method for forming the insulating gap 28, as shown in FIG. 21, only the back surface electrode 4 or a part of the piezoelectric ceramic together with the back surface electrode 4 is planarly removed. It is conceivable to form the electrode removing portion 26 or to chamfer a part of the piezoelectric element 1 as shown in FIG. In any case, the width of the insulating gap 28 is about 30 μm or more.
For these gap forming processes, etching, precision cutting whetstone, laser, wire cutting, etc. can be used for electrode removal, and precision cutting whetstone, laser, wire cutting, etc. can be used for chamfering. . In this embodiment, when the piezoelectric element 1 and the radiation surface side terminal plate are joined,
Both members are pressure bonded to bring the thickness of the bonding layer close to zero.

[Operation] Due to the insulating gap 28 formed on the piezoelectric element 1, the back surface electrode 4 is electrically separated from the radiation surface terminal plate 5, and a short circuit does not occur when a drive voltage is applied.

[Effect] According to the present embodiment, the electrical insulation is ensured by the insulating gap. As a result, it is possible to prevent an insulation failure accident due to an insufficient thickness of the adhesive layer in the joining process. Further, the electrode removal portion of the insulating gap can be obtained by not forming an electrode only in this portion when forming the piezoelectric element back surface side electrode. However, in this case, the accuracy may not reach the level required in this step, so be careful.

[0062]

Seventh Embodiment Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 2
3 is a perspective view illustrating a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer according to a seventh embodiment. In the description of the drawings, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

[Structure] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 23, the piezoelectric element 1 is used as it is as the piezoelectric ceramics 2 having no electrodes formed on its surface.

[Manufacturing Method] Similar to the first embodiment, the piezoelectric ceramics 2 is integrated with the radiation surface side terminal plate 5 and the back surface side terminal plate 6 by an adhesive to form a vibrator base material (not shown). It The piezoelectric element 1 is formed by the film forming process on the oscillator base material.
A conductor thin film is formed on the entire surface of the above and a portion that electrically connects the surface and both terminal plates 5 and 6.

[Operation] The surface electrode of the piezoelectric element 1 is formed and the terminal electrodes 5 and 6 are bonded at the same time by the conductor thin film formed in the film forming process on the vibrator base material. Be seen.

[Effect] According to this embodiment, the film forming process on the piezoelectric element can be omitted. This makes it possible to use a piezoelectric element having an appropriate thickness by polarizing the piezoelectric element in a thick and strong state and then re-polishing. Therefore, when forming a high-frequency ultrasonic transducer of 30 MHz or more, the piezoelectric element is prevented from being damaged due to a handling failure during polarization / electrode formation due to the extremely thin piezoelectric element (70 μm or less). can do.

In this embodiment, the method of forming the electrodes on both sides at once has been described, but it is also possible to use a piezoelectric element having electrodes formed on only one side.

[0068]

As described above, according to the ultrasonic transducer and the method of manufacturing the same of the present invention, it is possible to provide a small-sized and highly accurate ultrasonic transducer at low cost.

That is, in the invention described in claim 1,
In particular, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic transducer having a small size, high accuracy, and a structure that can be manufactured at low cost.

In the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to produce the ultrasonic transducer having the above structure.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it becomes possible to manufacture the ultrasonic transducer having the above structure with a high yield.

Further, in the invention described in claim 4, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic transducer having a structure in which the handling of the constituent members is particularly easy.

According to the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to produce the ultrasonic transducer having the structure described in claim 4.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining an ultrasonic transducer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining another example of the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining another example of the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining another example of the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining another example of the ultrasonic transducer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the method of manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating an ultrasonic transducer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating the method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Piezoelectric element 2 Piezoelectric ceramics 3 Radiation surface side surface electrode 4 Rear surface electrode 5 Radiation side terminal plate 6 Rear side terminal board 7 Rear side terminal plate Electrically conductive addition part 8 Ultrasonic transducer base material 9 mask 10 Conductor thin film formation surface 11 Ultrasonic transducer 12 Acoustic matching layer 13 Rear braking material 14 Ultrasonic transducer 15 Cylindrical curved surface type piezoelectric element 16 Curved-Plane Piezoelectric Element 17 Bi-concave curved surface type piezoelectric element 18 Stepped type radiation side terminal plate 19 Opening type radiation side terminal plate 20 Openings 21 Remaining part of terminal plate on radiation side 22 Polygonal vibrator 23 Piezoelectric element-rear braking material joining member 24 Clamping type intermediate terminal 25 Coated intermediate terminal 26 Electrode removal section 27 Piezoelectric element chamfer 28 Insulation gap 29 Radiating surface side terminal 30 Rear terminal

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-55-47846 (JP, A) JP-A-59-189834 (JP, A) JP-A-56-66992 (JP, A) Actual development Sho-61- 180004 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04R 17/00 330 A61B 8/00 G01N 29/24 H04R 31/00 330

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ultrasonic transducer comprising a piezoelectric vibrator, an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a back load material formed on the other surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, The piezoelectric vibrator includes a piezoelectric element, a first electrode terminal bonded to a side surface of the piezoelectric element and electrically connected to one surface electrode of the piezoelectric element by a conductive thin film, and the first electrode. An ultrasonic transducer comprising: a second electrode terminal which is joined to one surface of a terminal and is electrically connected to the other surface electrode of the piezoelectric element by a conductive thin film. 2. A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer comprising a piezoelectric vibrator, an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a back load material formed on the other surface of the piezoelectric vibrator. In the method, the piezoelectric vibrator is configured such that a plate-shaped first electrode terminal is connected to a side surface of the piezoelectric element, and a plate-shaped second electrode terminal is provided on one surface of the first electrode terminal. A method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer, characterized in that both surface electrodes of the piezoelectric element and the both electrode terminals are electrically connected by a conductive thin film, respectively, and then cut. 3. An ultrasonic transducer comprising a piezoelectric vibrator, an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a back load material formed on the other surface of the piezoelectric vibrator. In the method, the method for producing an ultrasonic transducer is characterized in that formation of at least one surface electrode of the piezoelectric element and electrical connection between the surface electrode and the electrode terminal are simultaneously performed in a conductor thin film forming step. 4. An ultrasonic transducer comprising a piezoelectric vibrator, an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a back load material formed on the other surface of the piezoelectric vibrator. In the method, the piezoelectric vibrator includes a piezoelectric element,
A first electrode terminal that is joined to the side surface of the piezoelectric element and is electrically connected to one surface electrode of the piezoelectric element by a conductive thin film; Second bonded to the other surface electrode
And an electrode terminal of the ultrasonic transducer. 5. An ultrasonic transducer comprising a piezoelectric vibrator, an acoustic matching layer formed on one surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a back load material formed on the other surface of the piezoelectric vibrator. In the method, the piezoelectric vibrator is joined with a backside braking material in which an intermediate electrode terminal is integrated on one surface of the piezoelectric element, with the intermediate electrode and the surface electrode of the piezoelectric element electrically connected. Further, a plate-shaped electrode terminal is connected to the side surface of the piezoelectric element, and then the other surface electrode of the piezoelectric element and the electrode terminal are electrically connected by a conductive thin film, and then cut. Ultrasonic transducer manufacturing method.