JP3660893B2 - Ultrasonic probe backing and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a backing for an ultrasonic probe and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a backing in which a lead array is embedded and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the ultrasonic probe, the array transducer is composed of a plurality of transducer elements. As known in the art, there are a 1D array transducer, a 2D array transducer, and the like. In such an array transducer, it is necessary to individually connect leads (signal lines) to a plurality of transducer elements.
[0003]
As one method for the connection, a plurality of leads (lead arrays) are embedded in a backing provided on the back side of the array transducer in advance, and each lead is electrically connected to each transducer element when the backing is joined to the array transducer. A method of connecting to is proposed. According to this method, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to route the lead excessively, and there is an advantage that a special connection member such as a multilayer FPC (flexible circuit board) can be eliminated.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Conventionally, a backing for a 2D array transducer is formed in a cubic shape, and a lead array in which axes are parallel to each other is embedded therein. That is, one end of each lead constituting the lead array is two-dimensionally arranged on the upper surface of the backing, and the other end of each lead is two-dimensionally arranged on the lower surface of the backing in the same arrangement. Here, a plurality of electrodes corresponding to the plurality of leads are formed on the upper surface of the backing. A plurality of electrodes corresponding to the plurality of leads are also formed on the lower surface of the backing. The above is basically the same for the backing for the 1D array transducer (however, each end of the lead is a one-dimensional array).
[0005]
Recently, both the number and density of vibrating elements in an array transducer have been increased (miniaturized and densified) in order to improve the image quality of ultrasonic images or form a three-dimensional image. Therefore, in the backing incorporating the above-described parallel type lead array, one end and the other end (simultaneously electrodes) of the lead array are densely packed on the upper surface and the lower surface. Here, on the upper surface side of the backing, the arrangement of one end of the lead matches the arrangement of the array transducers, so that electrical connection can be made relatively easily by joining both members. In this case, it is necessary to individually connect the signal lines to the other ends of the individual leads. If the other ends are dense, the connection work becomes difficult. Specifically, if the shape of the plurality of electrodes (electrodes connected to the other ends of the plurality of leads) formed on the lower surface of the backing is small and the electrodes are dense, the connection of individual signal lines The work becomes complicated, and in some cases, the occurrence of poor connection or a decrease in insulation becomes a problem.
[0006]
As for the backing, there is always a demand for improvement in ultrasonic absorption and heat dissipation (heat dissipation from the array transducer).
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to enable reliable and easy connection of signal lines in an ultrasonic probe backing in which a lead array is embedded. is there.
[0008]
Another object of the present invention is to improve ultrasonic absorption or improve heat dissipation in an ultrasonic probe backing in which a lead array is embedded.
[0009]
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost of the backing in which the lead array is embedded.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
(1) In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a backing for absorbing ultrasonic waves on the back side of an array transducer comprising a plurality of transducer elements, the absorbing member provided on the upper surface of the array transducer, A lead array including a plurality of leads embedded in an absorbing member and electrically connected to the plurality of vibration elements, and having a radial embedded pattern extending radially from the upper surface to the lower surface of the absorbing member.The absorbent member has a form in which the cross-sectional area continuously increases from the upper surface to the lower surface.It is characterized by that.
[0011]
According to the above configuration, since the lead array has a radially expanded form (a divergent form), it is possible to widen the interval between the other ends of the plurality of leads. Therefore, when electrodes are formed at the other end, the shape of each electrode can be increased as necessary, and the interval between the electrodes can be increased as necessary. Therefore, it is possible to obtain various advantages such as easy connection (improvement of workability), improvement of the reliability of the connection, and securing of electrical insulation.
[0012]
In the lead array, it is only necessary that a plurality of leads spread radially (radially embedded pattern) as a whole, and all of the leads may not be linear but bend. When the vertical direction of the backing is the Z direction and the directions perpendicular to the Z direction are the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, the form of the end expansion of the lead array is at least one of the ZX plane and the ZY plane ( In the case of a 2D array transducer, it is particularly desirable in both cases.
[0013]
  Preferably, the absorbing member is continuous from the upper surface to the lower surface of the absorbing member in accordance with the radial embedded pattern of the lead array.Next toThe cross-sectional area is increased.Preferably, the absorbing member has a quadrangular pyramid shape.
[0014]
According to the above configuration, since the backing material has a divergent form in accordance with the form of the lead array, advantages such as improvement in heat dissipation and improvement in ultrasonic absorption can be obtained. The shape of the spreading of the backing material is realized in at least one of the ZX plane and the ZY plane (particularly desirably both in the case of a 2D array transducer) in accordance with the shape of the lead array.
[0015]
Preferably, one end of the plurality of leads constituting the lead array is arranged on the upper surface of the absorbing member, and the other end of the plurality of leads constituting the lead array is arranged on the lower surface of the absorbing member. In this case, a plurality of signal lines (including FPC and the like) are connected on the lower surface side of the backing.
[0016]
Preferably, the interval between the other ends of the plurality of leads is greater than the interval between the one ends of the plurality of leads. With this configuration, the connection work is easy and reliable. Furthermore, advantages such as improved electrical insulation can be obtained.
[0017]
Preferably, one end of a plurality of leads constituting the lead array is arranged on an upper surface of the absorbing member, and the other end of the plurality of leads constituting the lead array is arranged on a side surface of the absorbing member. According to this configuration, connection can be made by actively utilizing a side surface that is not normally used. Of course, you may make it utilize both the lower surface and side surface of a backing material.
[0018]
Preferably, the absorbent member has a form in which a cross-sectional area gradually increases from an upper surface to a lower surface thereof, whereby a plurality of step surfaces are formed on a side surface of the absorbent member, and the plurality of step surfaces are formed on the plurality of step surfaces. The other end of the lead is pulled out.
[0019]
Preferably, the array transducer is composed of n transducer elements, and the lead array is m elements corresponding to m transducer elements selected from the n transducer elements (where m <n). The m vibrating elements among the n vibrating elements are effective elements.
[0020]
According to the above configuration, the array transducer can be configured as a so-called sparse array transducer by thinning a plurality of leads in the lead array. That is, with respect to the array transducer itself, it is possible to set an effective element (and set an invalid element) by thinning out leads while setting a normal vibration element array. If the lead is thinned out, the ultrasonic absorption of the backing can be improved at least and the electrical crosstalk can be reduced.
[0021]
(2) Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a backing that absorbs ultrasonic waves on the back side of an array transducer composed of a plurality of vibration elements. And forming a lead array in which the other ends of the plurality of leads are radially expanded from there, a step of surrounding the lead array with a molding frame, A step of injecting a backing material into the base material and curing it; a step of removing the molding frame from the cured backing material; and a method of making the lead array correspond to the backing material from which the molding frame has been removed. Forming a plurality of electrodes.
[0022]
According to the above configuration, a plurality of lead arrays having a radial form are first formed, and then a backing material is poured into the lead array to cure it, thereby making it possible to easily manufacture a backing in which the lead array is embedded.
[0023]
(3) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a backing that absorbs ultrasonic waves on the back side of an array transducer composed of a plurality of vibration elements, and includes a plurality of trapezoidal plates made of a backing material. For each, a step of forming a plurality of radially expanded grooves, a step of filling a plurality of grooves formed in each of the trapezoidal plates with a conductive material and curing it, and creating a plurality of leads, A step of stacking each trapezoidal plate in which a plurality of leads are formed to form a pyramid-shaped stacked body, and a step of forming a plurality of electrodes corresponding to the plurality of leads with respect to the stacked body. It is characterized by that.
[0024]
According to the above configuration, it is possible to form a plurality of leads (lead rows) arranged in a row by forming a plurality of grooves in each trapezoidal plate and pouring a conductive material into them to cure them. A backing (simultaneously a lead array) can be configured by stacking a plurality of trapezoidal plates having such lead rows.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0026]
FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the main part thereof.
[0027]
In FIG. 1, an array transducer 10 is composed of a plurality of transducer elements 12 two-dimensionally arranged on the XY plane in the drawing, and constitutes a so-called 2D array transducer. An acoustic matching layer 20 is formed on the upper side of the array transducer 10 via a flat ground electrode 18. The acoustic matching layer 20 includes a plurality of acoustic matching elements 22 having an arrangement similar to the arrangement of the plurality of vibration elements 12 in the array transducer 10.
[0028]
A backing 24 is provided on the lower surface side, that is, the rear surface side of the array transducer 10. The backing 24 is a member for absorbing unnecessary ultrasonic waves emitted from the array transducer 10 to the back side. The backing 24 is roughly composed of a backing material 25 and a lead array 32. The backing 24 (backing material 25) has a divergent form in which the cross-sectional area gradually increases from the upper side to the lower side in the Z direction. In FIG. 1, the form of the backing material 25 on the ZY plane is shown as a trapezoid, but this is the same for the ZX plane. That is, the backing 24 has a quadrangular pyramid shape as a whole.
[0029]
The lead array 32 includes a plurality of leads 34 made of a conductive member. The plurality of leads 34 have an array pattern that spreads radially from one upper end to the other lower end as shown. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each lead 34 is configured linearly. On the upper surface 24A of the backing 24, one end of each lead 34 is two-dimensionally arranged. Similarly, on the lower surface 24B of the backing 24, the other end of each lead 34 is two-dimensionally arranged. However, as described above, the lead array 32 has a form radially expanding from the upper side to the lower side. Therefore, the interval between the other ends of the lower surface 24B is larger than the interval between the one ends of the upper surface 24A. Incidentally, although the radial pattern of the lead array 32 in the ZY plane is shown in FIG. 1, this radial pattern is the same in the ZX plane.
[0030]
In FIG. 1, a plurality of electrodes 16 are formed on the upper surface 24 </ b> A of the backing 24 in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the vibration elements 12 of the array transducer 10 (the arrangement of the other end of the lead 34). 16 constitutes an electrode array 14. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the electrode array 14 is formed in advance on the upper surface 24A of the backing 24, and then the array transducer 10 is electrically connected to the electrode array 14. The electrode array 14 may be formed in advance on the substrate 12, and then the array transducer 10 may be bonded to the upper surface 24A of the backing 24. Of course, an electrode array may be formed on the upper surface 24A of the backing 24, and an electrode array may also be formed on the array transducer 10 so that these electrode arrays are surface-bonded to each other.
[0031]
A plurality of electrodes 27 are formed on the lower surface 24B of the backing 24 in the same arrangement as that of one end of the upper surfaces 24A of the plurality of leads 34, and an electrode array 26 is constituted by the plurality of electrodes 27. As shown in FIG. 1, the size and pitch of the plurality of electrodes 27 are larger than the size and pitch of the plurality of electrodes 16. That is, by expanding the lead array 32 radially from the upper side to the lower side, the shape of each electrode 27 on the lower surface 24B side can be increased, and the interval between the electrodes 27 can be increased. Therefore, when the signal line 28 is connected to each electrode 27, the connection work can be performed more easily than in the past, thereby preventing problems such as the occurrence of a connection failure or a decrease in insulation in the connection. .
[0032]
Incidentally, in the example shown in FIG. 1, each signal line 28 is connected to each electrode 27 by, for example, soldering. Of course, the connection is made by joining FPC or the like to each electrode 27. Also good. In this case, the wiring pattern formed in such an FPC corresponds to each signal line 28. Incidentally, a ground line 30 is connected to the ground electrode 18.
[0033]
FIG. 2 shows a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the leads 34 are electrically connected to all the vibration elements 12 constituting the array transducer 10, but by thinning out a certain number of leads 34 in the lead array 32, A so-called sparse ultrasonic probe can also be configured.
[0034]
FIG. 2 shows a top view of the backing 24. As described above, the plurality of electrodes 16 are formed in a matrix on the top surface 24A. Here, assuming that the number of electrodes 16 (the number of vibrating elements 12) is n, in the modified example shown in FIG. 2, the leads 34 are actually provided only for m selected from the n. That is, the lead 34 is removed from the nm vibration elements. Thus, the n vibration elements can be divided into effective elements that function by ultrasonic transmission / reception and ineffective elements that do not perform ultrasonic transmission / reception. By disposing the effective elements in a distributed manner, the vibration elements A sparse array type ultrasonic probe capable of performing two-dimensional scanning of an ultrasonic beam while reducing the number can be configured.
[0035]
According to the modification shown in FIG. 2, in the case where the lead array 32 is configured without performing special processing on the array transducer 10, such as removal of the vibration element, the result is obtained by thinning out a certain number of leads 34. A sparse array transducer can be constructed. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the electrode 16 is formed for each vibration element, but the electrode 16 itself may be deleted for a vibration element in which the lead 34 is not provided. According to the above configuration, since a certain number of leads 34 are thinned out in the lead array 32 and the backing material is present as it is, the ultrasonic absorption can be improved and the spaces between the leads 34 can be improved. There is an advantage that the problem of crosstalk can be reduced. Incidentally, the plurality of electrodes formed on the lower surface side of the backing 24 may be formed only for those having the leads 34.
[0036]
Next, an ultrasonic probe according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure similar to embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
[0037]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the backing 39 is composed of a backing material 40 and a lead array 46, where the lead array 46 comprises a plurality of leads 48. Each lead 48 includes a first portion 48A that spreads radially from the top to the bottom and a second portion 48B that extends in the horizontal direction from its lower end.
[0038]
The lead 48 on the periphery of the backing 39 has a shorter overall path length. The outer end of the second portion 48B is drawn out to the side surface 39C of the backing 39, and an electrode 44 is formed on the side surface 39C for each outer end, and the electrode array 42 is constituted by the plurality of electrodes 44. .
[0039]
That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, signal lines are connected on the lower surface of the backing, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, signal lines are connected using the side surface 39 </ b> C of the backing 39. It has been broken. Therefore, the lower surface 39B of the backing 39 is a flat surface on which no electrode is formed. For example, the surface can be directly bonded to a substrate or the like. Incidentally, the side surface 39C is specifically composed of four surfaces. However, as long as the distance between the other ends of the leads 48 can be widened, a necessary number of surfaces among the four surfaces are selected. The signal lines may be connected using them. Preferably, signal lines are connected using all four surfaces.
[0040]
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the other end of the lead 48 closer to the periphery of the backing 39 is drawn to the upper part of the side surface 39C, while the other end of the lead 48 is closer to the lower side of the side surface 39C closer to the central axis of the backing 39 However, according to such a configuration, the distance between the leads 48 can be separated as much as possible, and the problem of crosstalk can be prevented.
[0041]
FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment. In this embodiment, the backing 49 is constituted by the backing material 50 and the lead array 56. Here, the overall shape of the backing material 50 (that is, the backing 49) has a pyramid shape extending from the top to the bottom. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of steps 50 </ b> D are formed on the side surface 49 </ b> C of the backing 49.
[0042]
The lead array 56 is constituted by a plurality of leads 58, each lead 58 being radially drawn downward from the upper surface 49A, and a second portion 58B extending horizontally from the lower end of the first portion 58A. The third portion 58C extends upward from the outer end of the second portion 58B, and the third portion 58C is connected to the electrode 44 provided at the step 50D.
[0043]
That is, as described above, the side surface 49C is formed with a plurality of steps 50D in the form of a horizontal terrace, and each step 50D is provided with an electrode 44. Each electrode 44 has the other end of the corresponding lead 58. Are electrically connected.
[0044]
Also in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the lead array 56 has a radial shape from the top to the bottom as a whole. On the other hand, since the electrodes 44 face each other upward, for example, a signal from above is provided. A wire approach can be realized, and depending on the structure of the ultrasonic probe, the connection workability can be improved, or the ultrasonic probe can be miniaturized. Incidentally, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the side surface 49 </ b> C is specifically composed of four surfaces, but the step 50 </ b> D can be formed on any number of surfaces among them.
[0045]
In any case, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the lead arrays 46 and 56 have a form spreading from the top to the bottom as a whole, and the backings 39 and 49 as a whole are also four. Since it has a pyramid shape, it is possible to easily connect the wires and to improve heat dissipation and ultrasonic wave absorption.
[0046]
Next, a manufacturing method of the backing 24 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0047]
5 and 6 show a first example of the manufacturing method. In FIG. 5, in S101, a plurality of lead row units are created. FIG. 6 shows a lead row unit 64. The lead row unit 64 has a lead row in which a plurality of leads 34 are arranged in a row, a frame 62 connected to the upper end side of the lead row, and a lead row. It is comprised by the flame | frame 60 connected with the lower end side of the row | line | column. For example, the lead row unit 64 can be formed by performing etching processing or laser processing on a metal plate material. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of leads 34 and the frames 60 and 62 constitute an integral member. In this case, the lead row as a whole has a trapezoidal shape, and each lead spreads from the top to the bottom. Incidentally, when such a lead row unit 64 is formed, the frame 62 is formed with through holes 62A and 62B, and similarly, the frame 60 is formed with through holes 60A and 60B.
[0048]
Returning to FIG. 5, in S102, an assembly is formed. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6. A plurality of lead row units 64 are overlapped with each other with spacers 72 and 70 interposed therebetween, and a plurality of frames 62 and a plurality of frames 60 are mutually connected by bolts or the like. The assembly 66 is configured by the connection. Here, the thickness of the spacer 72 defines the pitch at the upper end of each lead row, and similarly, the thickness of the spacer 70 defines the pitch at the lower end of each lead row. Incidentally, the pitch of the upper end and the pitch of the lower end of each lead 34 in the lead row is defined by appropriately setting the processing pattern when processing the plate material in S101. Incidentally, as the plate material, a conductive metal such as copper or gold can be used.
[0049]
When the plurality of lead row units 64 are stacked on each other via the spacers 70 and 72, the above-described through holes 62A and 62B and 60A and 60B are used, and bolts are inserted into the through holes. On the other hand, the members are firmly integrated by engaging the nut. For this reason, a similar through hole is formed in the spacers 70 and 72.
[0050]
Returning to FIG. 5, in S <b> 103, the forming frame is attached to the assembly 66. Specifically, a forming frame body (not shown) having a configuration for constituting the pyramid-shaped backing is attached to the assembly 66 shown in FIG. The forming frame is attached so as to wrap the outside of the lead 34. Thereafter, in S104 shown in FIG. 5, the forming frame is filled with the backing material, and is cured.
[0051]
Next, in S <b> 105, the forming frame is removed from the assembly 66, and then the shape processing is performed on the cured backing material. Specifically, the processing of a quadrangular pyramid shape is performed by appropriately cutting out the upper surface, the lower surface, and the side surface.
[0052]
In S106, the upper and lower surfaces of the quadrangular pyramidal backing material are processed such as polishing, whereby the upper and lower surfaces are smoothed and processed in parallel.
[0053]
Finally, in S107, the plurality of electrodes described above are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the backing material. In this case, for example, each electrode may be formed by vapor deposition of a material such as nickel, chromium, or gold, and a grill-like mask may be used for the vapor deposition. It is also possible to first form solid electrodes on the upper and lower surfaces and separate the electrodes by dicing. Here, for a plurality of electrodes formed on the upper surface, a solid electrode is first formed, a piezoelectric body is formed thereon, and then the solid electrode is also cut at the same time when the piezoelectric body is cut two-dimensionally. As a result, a plurality of electrodes may be formed.
[0054]
When the backing is formed as described above, the members such as the array transducer and the matching layer are attached to the backing as described above, and the signal lines are attached thereafter or prior thereto.
[0055]
7 and 8 show a backing manufacturing method according to another embodiment. In S201 shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of trapezoidal plates with leads are created. This will be described with reference to FIG. First, a plurality of grooves 76 are formed radially with a dicing saw or the like on a trapezoidal plate material 74 made of a backing material. Next, the conductive material 78 is filled in each groove 76, and the conductive material 78 is cured. Thereafter, a flattening process or the like is performed on the conductive material 78. Here, an epoxy or acrylic conductive adhesive may be used as the conductive material. Next, the side of the plate member 74 where the plurality of grooves are not formed is polished, whereby the plate member 74 is processed into a desired thickness and shape. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the plate material 74 is processed so that the thickness gradually increases from the top to the bottom. Here, the lead rows that spread radially are formed by filling the plurality of grooves 76 with the conductive material 78, and the interval between the lead rows is defined by the thickness of the plate 74. .
[0056]
Returning to FIG. 7, in S202, a plurality of lead-containing trapezoidal plates 80 configured as described above are stacked and bonded together. In S203, the laminated body formed by the above-described adhesion is subjected to a chamfering process on the upper surface and the lower surface, and the laminated body is simultaneously processed into a quadrangular pyramid shape. Next, in S204, electrode arrays are formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the processed laminate, that is, the backing material. This is the same as step S107 shown in FIG.
[0057]
According to the above-described method for manufacturing a backing, it is possible to easily configure a radially extending lead array and to manufacture a backing in which such a lead array is embedded at low cost.
[0058]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily connect the signal lines to the lead array in the backing in which the lead array is built. Moreover, the heat dissipation effect and ultrasonic absorption effect of the backing can be enhanced. Furthermore, the manufacturing cost of the backing can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a main configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing a sparse array type ultrasonic probe.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the backing shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration example of the assembly.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for manufacturing a backing.
FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a plurality of trapezoidal plates with leads.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 array transducer, 14, 26 electrode array, 20 acoustic matching layer, 24 backing, 25 backing material, 32 lead array, 34 leads.

Claims (9)

In the backing that absorbs ultrasonic waves on the back side of the array transducer consisting of a plurality of vibration elements,
An absorbing member provided on the upper surface of the array transducer;
A lead array including a plurality of leads embedded in the absorbing member and electrically connected to the plurality of vibration elements, and having a radial embedded pattern extending radially from the upper surface to the lower surface side of the absorbing member;
Only including,
The backing for an ultrasonic probe, wherein the absorbing member has a form in which a cross-sectional area continuously increases from an upper surface to a lower surface . The backing of claim 1,
The backing for an ultrasonic probe, wherein the absorbing member has a quadrangular pyramid shape . The backing of claim 1,
One end of a plurality of leads constituting the lead array is arranged on the upper surface of the absorbing member,
The backing for an ultrasonic probe, wherein the other ends of the plurality of leads constituting the lead array are arranged on the lower surface of the absorbing member. The backing of claim 3,
The backing for an ultrasonic probe, wherein a distance between the other ends of the plurality of leads is larger than a distance between one ends of the plurality of leads. The backing of claim 1,
A backing for an ultrasonic probe, wherein each lead in the lead array is configured linearly . In the backing that absorbs ultrasonic waves on the back side of the array transducer consisting of a plurality of vibration elements,
An absorbing member provided on the upper surface of the array transducer;
A lead array including a plurality of leads embedded in the absorbing member and electrically connected to the plurality of vibration elements, and having a radial embedded pattern extending radially from the upper surface to the lower surface side of the absorbing member;
Including
One end of a plurality of leads constituting the lead array is arranged on the upper surface of the absorbing member,
The other ends of the plurality of leads constituting the lead array are arranged on the side surface of the absorbing member,
The absorbent member has a form in which the cross-sectional area gradually increases from the upper surface to the lower surface, thereby forming a plurality of step surfaces on the side surface of the absorbent member,
The backing for an ultrasonic probe, wherein the other ends of the plurality of leads are drawn out to the plurality of step surfaces. In the backing that absorbs ultrasonic waves on the back side of the array transducer consisting of a plurality of vibration elements,
An absorbing member provided on the upper surface of the array transducer;
A lead array including a plurality of leads embedded in the absorbing member and electrically connected to the plurality of vibration elements, and having a radial embedded pattern extending radially from the upper surface to the lower surface side of the absorbing member;
Including
The array vibrator is composed of n vibration elements,
The lead array is composed of m leads corresponding to m (where m <n) vibration elements selected from the n vibrators,
A backing for an ultrasonic probe, wherein m vibrating elements among the n vibrating elements are effective elements. In the manufacturing method of the backing that absorbs ultrasonic waves on the back side of the array transducer composed of a plurality of vibration elements,
Forming a lead array in which one end of a plurality of leads is two-dimensionally arranged, and the other end of the plurality of leads is radially expanded therefrom;
Surrounding the lead array with a molding frame;
Injecting a backing material into the molding frame and curing it;
Removing the molded frame from the cured backing material;
Forming a plurality of electrodes corresponding to the lead array with respect to the backing material from which the molding frame has been removed;
A method for manufacturing a backing for an ultrasonic probe, comprising: In the manufacturing method of the backing that absorbs ultrasonic waves on the back side of the array transducer composed of a plurality of vibration elements,
Forming a plurality of radially extending grooves for each of a plurality of trapezoidal plates made of a backing material;
Filling a plurality of grooves formed in each of the trapezoidal plates with a conductive material and curing it to create a plurality of leads; and
A step of laminating each trapezoidal plate in which the plurality of leads are formed to form a pyramidal laminate; and
Forming a plurality of electrodes corresponding to the plurality of leads with respect to the laminate;
A method for manufacturing a backing for an ultrasonic probe, comprising:

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