JP4238103B2 - Method for manufacturing element array and method for manufacturing ultrasonic transducer array - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an element array in which a plurality of elements are arranged. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer array including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers in which piezoelectric material layers and electrodes are laminated.

  A laminated structure in which a dielectric (insulator) and an electrode are laminated is used in various applications such as a laminated capacitor, a piezoelectric pump, a piezoelectric actuator, and an ultrasonic transducer. In recent years, with the development of MEMS (microelectromechanical system) related devices, miniaturization and integration of elements having such a laminated structure have been advanced.

  Conventionally, an element array in which elements having such a stacked structure and elements of a piezoelectric vibrator are two-dimensionally arranged is collectively manufactured by a surface process. However, according to such a method for manufacturing an element array, processing such as fabrication of an element array in which elements having a complicated laminated structure are arranged, processing on the side surfaces of elements arranged inside a two-dimensional array, and electrode formation are performed. It was difficult. In addition, there is a problem that the manufacturing process becomes complicated because precise alignment is required with the miniaturization of elements.

  Therefore, as a method of arranging a plurality of elements (fine particles) in a two-dimensional manner without using a surface process, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of arranging fine particles in fine holes formed in a film, and at least the fineness of the film. There is disclosed a method for arranging fine particles in the fine holes, in which fine particles are arranged in the fine holes of the film by pressing a film in which fine holes are formed on the surface on which a larger number of fine particles are arranged than the number of holes. In Patent Document 2, in a method of arranging fine particles on which various probes are immobilized in a capillary or an optical cell in an arrangement determined according to the type of probe, a sheet having a hole larger than the fine particles and a contact with the sheet are disclosed. The probe array can be moved relative to the substrate holding the capillary or the groove, controlled by moving the position of the fine particles trapped in the sheet hole, and sequentially transferred to the capillary or the groove. A method is disclosed. However, in these methods, it is difficult to determine the manufacturing conditions due to the influence of static electricity and the like. Further, the arrangement direction of the fine particles (elements) cannot be controlled.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a first step of forming a plurality of thin films at a predetermined pitch on a substrate in a method for manufacturing a microstructure by sequentially laminating a plurality of thin films having a cross-sectional shape of the microstructure. Then, the substrate and the stage on which the plurality of thin films are stacked are relatively moved at a predetermined pitch, the thin film is peeled off from the substrate, the peeled thin film is stacked on the stage and bonded, and the minute A method for manufacturing a microstructure including a second step of forming a structure is disclosed. According to this method, it is possible to efficiently produce a microstructure as compared with a layered manufacturing method used conventionally. However, if the microstructure has a complicated shape or structure on its side surface, it is still difficult to produce an array.

Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a process of irradiating a part of an adhesive layer made of an ultraviolet curable resin provided on a substrate with ultraviolet rays, curing the adhesive layer of the irradiated part to reduce the adhesive force, and an adhesive layer. A method of arranging a micro object is disclosed which comprises a step of bringing a micro object into contact with the entire surface of the substrate and adhering the micro object to a non-irradiated portion of ultraviolet rays and arranging the micro object, and a step of removing unnecessary micro objects attached to the irradiated portion. ing. However, according to this method, the arrangement direction of the minute object (element) cannot be controlled.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-373751 JP 2000-346842 A JP-A-11-151754 JP-A-10-84178

As described above, it is difficult to array a plurality of elements having a complicated three-dimensional structure depending on a conventionally used surface process (lamination modeling method) or space filling modeling method.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method capable of easily manufacturing an element array including a plurality of elements having a complicated structure. It is another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method capable of easily manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer array including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers with good performance.

In order to solve the above problem, an element array manufacturing method according to a first aspect of the present invention is an element array manufacturing method in which a plurality of elements are arranged between fillers, and each of the plurality of elements to, (a) forming a coating layer having a predetermined thickness and / or shape of a material to be the filling material, a plurality of coated elements coating layer is formed, coating the surface of each coated element (B) arranging in a predetermined arrangement in contact with at least one other coated element, and forming a coating layer of each element on a plurality of elements by integrating the coating layer of each element with the coating layer of the other element And a step (c) of integrating a plurality of coating layers.

The element array manufacturing method according to the second aspect of the present invention is an element array manufacturing method in which a plurality of elements are arranged between fillers, and each of the plurality of elements is physically or A step (a) of forming a coating layer having a predetermined thickness and / or shape with a material that can be removed by chemical action; and a plurality of coated elements on which the coating layer is formed are coated on the coated surface of each coated element A step (b) of arranging and fixing on a substrate so as to be in a predetermined arrangement in contact with at least one other coated element, and a plurality of coating layers respectively formed on a plurality of elements. Alternatively, the method includes a step (c) of removing by chemical action, and a step (d) of disposing a filler between a plurality of elements disposed on the substrate.

Furthermore, the method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer array according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer array having a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators each including at least a piezoelectric material layer and an electrode layer. each, (a) forming a coating layer having a predetermined thickness and / or shape of a material to be the filling material, a plurality of coated piezoelectric vibrator coating layer is formed, the coated piezoelectric of A step (b) in which a coating surface of the vibrator is arranged in a predetermined arrangement in contact with at least one other coated piezoelectric vibrator, and a coating layer of each piezoelectric vibrator is coated with a coating layer of another piezoelectric vibrator. by integrating, to integrate a plurality of coating layers are formed on the plurality of piezoelectric vibrators A step (c) for producing a piezoelectric vibrator array, a step (d) for forming an electrode on each end face of the plurality of piezoelectric vibrators and providing a wiring on one bottom surface of the piezoelectric vibrator array; And (e) forming a common electrode on the other bottom surface of the piezoelectric vibrator array.

  According to the present invention, since the elements on which the coating layer is formed in advance are arrayed, an element array including a plurality of elements having a complicated structure and having high arrangement accuracy can be manufactured easily and efficiently. Therefore, an element array having high function or high performance can be realized at low cost. Moreover, according to the present invention, an ultrasonic transducer array capable of efficiently transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves can be easily manufactured.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an element array according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This element array includes a plurality of stacked structure elements 10 arranged two-dimensionally. A filler 17 is disposed between the laminated structure elements 10.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the multilayer structure element 10 shown in FIG. The laminated structure element 10 is, for example, a minute columnar structure whose one side of the bottom surface is about 0.2 to 1.0 mm and whose height is about 1.0 mm. The laminated structure element 10 includes a lower electrode 11, a plurality of dielectric layers 12, a plurality of internal electrodes 13, an upper electrode 14, and two side electrodes 15.

  In this embodiment, a piezoelectric material containing PZT (Pb (lead) zirconate titanate) is used as the dielectric layer 12. By applying a voltage to the dielectric layer 12 via the lower electrode 11, the internal electrode 13, and the upper electrode 14, the dielectric layer 12 expands and contracts due to the piezoelectric effect. Such a laminated structure using a piezoelectric material such as PZT as an insulating layer (dielectric layer) is used for a piezoelectric pump, a piezoelectric actuator, an ultrasonic transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves in an ultrasonic probe, and the like. .

  The plurality of dielectric layers 12 and the plurality of internal electrodes 13 are alternately stacked. Insulating materials 16 are provided on the two opposite side surfaces of the laminated structure 10 so as to alternately cover one end surfaces of the plurality of internal electrodes 13. Thereby, one end surface of the internal electrode 13 is connected to the side electrode 15 and the other end surface is insulated from the side electrode 15, so that the electrodes sandwiching each of the plurality of dielectric layers 12 are connected in parallel. Since the structure having such a stacked structure can increase the area of the electrodes facing each other as compared with a single-layer structure, the electrical impedance can be reduced. Therefore, as compared with a single-layer structure, the device can operate efficiently with respect to an applied voltage, and can be miniaturized and highly integrated.

The lower electrode 11, the internal electrode 13, the upper electrode 14, and the side electrode 15 are made of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), cobalt (Co), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), etc. It is formed of an electrode material containing a metal or an alloy thereof or a conductive oxide such as SRO (strontium ruthenium oxide: SrRuO ₃ ). These electrodes 11, 13, 14, and 15 may be single-layer electrodes formed of one type of electrode material, or may be stacked electrodes in which a plurality of types of electrode materials are stacked.

  The filler 17 supports and protects the laminated structure element 10. As the material of the filler 17, for example, silicon rubber, epoxy resin, urethane resin, polyimide resin, or a composite material based on these materials is used. By selecting an appropriate material as the filler 17, a desired function can be added to the filler 17. For example, by using a composite resin material in which a metal such as ferrite or PZT powder is mixed in an epoxy adhesive, a function of firmly fixing the laminated structure element 10 can be added to the filler 17. Alternatively, by using a cushioning material such as silicon rubber, a sound absorbing function and a soundproof function for absorbing vibration generated in the laminated structure element can be added to the filler 17.

Next first method of manufacturing the element array according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the element array according to the present embodiment.
In step S11 of FIG. 3, stacked structure elements arranged in an element array are manufactured. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing a laminated structure element. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a continuum of a laminated structure in which a lower electrode layer 21, a plurality of dielectric layers 22, a plurality of internal electrode layers 23, and an upper electrode layer 24 are laminated. Is made. For this purpose, for example, a PZT plate material on which a thin film of an internal electrode material is formed may be laminated, and a thin film of an upper electrode material and a lower electrode material may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces thereof. When forming the electrode layer, a sputtering method, a vacuum deposition method, or the like can be used. Alternatively, a PZT layer and an internal electrode layer are formed on the substrate by using a spray deposition method (also called an aerosol deposition method or a gas deposition method) in which the material is laminated by spraying the material powder on the substrate at a high speed. And the upper electrode and the lower electrode may be formed after the substrate is removed. In this case, in order to increase the grain size of PZT, it is desirable to fire the continuous body of the laminated structure.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the insulating material 26 is formed so as to alternately cover one end face of the plurality of internal electrode layers 23 on the side faces 20a and 20b of the continuous body of the laminated structure. . For this purpose, for example, an insulating material such as glass is attached to the end face of the internal electrode layer 23 using electrophoresis. Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the side electrodes 25 are formed on the side surfaces 20a and 20b of the continuum of the laminated structure in which the insulating material 26 is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 4D, the continuous body of the laminated structure is cut into element sizes using a dicer. Thereby, the laminated structure element 10 shown in FIG. 2 is produced.

  In step S12 of FIG. 3, the laminated structure element 10 is coated with the material of the filler 17 (FIG. 1). The thickness of the coating layer is determined according to the arrangement interval of the stacked structure elements arranged in the element array. As a method for coating, for example, the following methods (1) to (3) can be considered.

(1) Method of wrapping with film-shaped resin material As shown in FIG. 5, a coated element 30a is produced by wrapping the laminated structure element 10 using a resin material (resin film) 31 formed into a film shape. Is done. In order to make the coating layer have a desired thickness, the thickness and number of the resin films 31 may be adjusted.

(2) Method of dipping in a liquid coating material As shown in FIG. 6, the laminated structural element 10 is dipped in a liquid coating material 33 contained in a container and pulled up to cure the coating material. As a result, a coated element 30b having a coating layer formed on the surface is produced. The thickness of the coating layer depends on the viscosity of the liquid coating material 33, the time until the laminated structure element 10 is pulled up, the shape of the laminated structure element 10, the properties of the surface properties, the surface structure, etc., the number of coatings, etc. Can be controlled.

(3) Method of Molding Coating Material As shown in FIG. 7A, the laminated structure element 10 is placed in the mold 35, and the mold 35 is liquid as shown in FIG. 7B. The coating material 36 is poured and filled. After the liquid coating material 36 is cured, the content is taken out from the mold 35, whereby the coated element 30c shown in FIG. The thickness of the coating layer can be controlled by the size of the mold 35 and the arrangement of elements in the mold 35. In FIG. 7, one element is coated using one mold, but a plurality of elements may be coated at a time by arranging a plurality of elements on the mold at a predetermined interval. good. Thereby, the production efficiency can be increased.

  Here, in the methods shown in the above (1) to (3), a coating layer may be formed not only on the side surface of the multilayer structure element 10 but also on the upper surface and the lower surface. In that case, the upper and lower surfaces of the multilayer structure element 10 may be exposed by removing the coating layer by polishing or the like. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8A, the coated element 30c produced by the method (3) is placed in a mold 37 having a predetermined volume, and the coating layer is dissolved by heating. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8B, the coating layer covering the upper surface of the multilayer structure element 10 flows out, and the upper surface of the multilayer structure element 10 is exposed. After the coating material is cured again, the contents are taken out from the mold 36, whereby the coated element 30d shown in FIG.

  In step S12 of FIG. 3, in addition to the methods (1) to (3) described above, there are various methods such as applying a coating material to the laminated structure element using a brush or spraying the coating material. The method can be used. Alternatively, the laminated structure element may be embedded in a softened filler, or the laminated structure may be wound around a filler formed into a roll shape.

Here, before proceeding to step S13, a step of inspecting the coated element may be provided.
Next, in step S13, a plurality of coated elements are arranged as shown in FIG. In this case, for example, a method of bundling a plurality of coated elements, bringing them to a jig, or using a bonder to suck and arrange the coated elements at a predetermined position is used.
Furthermore, in process S14, the coating layer of the laminated structure element 10 is integrated by heating, for example. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, the element array by which the some laminated structure element 10 is arrange | positioned two-dimensionally is produced.

  In the present embodiment, an element array is manufactured using a stacked structure element in which an upper electrode and a lower electrode are formed in advance. However, these electrodes may not be provided at the stage of the laminated structure element, but may be provided after arraying. That is, after the coating layers are integrated in step S14 of FIG. 3, electrodes are formed on the dielectric layer exposed on the surface of the element array. In that case, for example, a method of sputtering an electrode material using a metal mask, a method of masking and etching an electrode material layer formed by vacuum deposition or the like using a resist, and the like are used. Note that either one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the element array may be a common electrode.

  Further, in the present embodiment, only one type of laminated structure element is used. However, according to the element array manufacturing method of the present embodiment, one element array using a plurality of different types of laminated structure elements. Can also be manufactured.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of stacked structure elements are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, but other arrangements can be used. Here, an array variation of the element array will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 10A, for example, a plurality of types of coated elements 41a and 41b having different diameters are manufactured using a columnar mold. Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, these coated elements 41a and 41b are arranged concentrically on a predetermined circumference according to the diameter. Further, by integrating these coating layers, as shown in FIG. 10C, an annular array in which a plurality of laminated structure elements 10 are arranged concentrically is produced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11A, a plurality of types of coated elements 42a, 42b,... With different coating layer thicknesses are produced. Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, these coated elements 42a, 42b,... Are arranged at predetermined positions. At that time, in order to adjust the arrangement interval of the laminated structure elements, blocks of only the coating material not including the elements may be appropriately arranged. Furthermore, by integrating these coating layers, as shown in FIG. 11C, a sparse array in which a plurality of laminated structure elements 10 are randomly arranged is produced.

  Furthermore, a coating layer may be formed only on a part of the side surface of the multilayer structure element. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 12A, by forming the coating layer 43 so as to cover only one side surface of the multilayer structure element 10, a plurality of elements can be arranged in one dimension. . In addition, as shown in FIG. 12B, by forming the coating layer 44 so as to cover only two side surfaces of the multilayer structure element 10, a plurality of elements can be arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. it can. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 12C, a coating layer 45 having an end surface that is not parallel to the side of the multilayer structure element 10 may be formed. Thereby, it is also possible to arrange | position the several laminated structure element 10 non-linearly.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), by using the laminated structure element 100 having the same laminated structure as the laminated structure element 10 and having a rectangular bottom surface, it is shown in FIG. 13 (b). A one-dimensional element array or a 1.5-dimensional element array shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, an element array in which a plurality of elements are two-dimensionally arranged can be easily manufactured. Therefore, a high-performance element array can be realized by using elements having a complicated structure and high-function elements that have been difficult or impossible to form in the prior art. In addition, since there are few processes after arraying a plurality of elements, it is possible to reduce the work of precisely adjusting the precision in the manufacturing process. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Furthermore, the manufacturing yield of the element array can be improved by providing a step of inspecting the laminated structure element before arranging the coated elements.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, an element array having a desired arrangement can be easily designed. Therefore, an element array in which the element interval periodically changes, a sparse array in which elements are sparsely arranged, and the like can be easily manufactured. By applying such a sparse array to an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, for example, side lobes and grating lobes generated by transmitting ultrasonic waves can be reduced.

Next, a method for manufacturing an element array according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing an element array according to this embodiment.
In step S21 of FIG. 14, a laminated structure element is manufactured. The method for manufacturing the laminated structure element is the same as that described in step S11 shown in FIG.

  Next, in step S22, the laminated structure element is coated. In the present embodiment, as the coating material, a material that can be removed in a later step by a physical or chemical action such as a chemical, heating, cooling, or weathering is used. Examples of such materials include epoxy-based, polyimide-based, and PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) -based resist materials. The thickness of the coating layer is determined according to the arrangement interval of the stacked structure elements arranged in the element array. The method for coating is the same as that described in step S12 shown in FIG.

Next, in step S23, as shown in FIG. 15A, a plurality of coated elements 30 are arranged and fixed on the substrate 50. Next, in step S24, the coating layer of the multilayer structure element 10 is removed by physical or chemical action according to the material of the coating layer. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15B, the laminated structure element 10 disposed on the substrate 50 is exposed. Further, in step S25, a filler 17 appropriately selected according to the function to be added is disposed between the plurality of laminated structure elements 10. As a result, an element array as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the substrate 50 may be further removed.
According to this embodiment, even a material that cannot be reversibly repeated such as melting and curing can be arranged in the element array as a filler.

Next, an element array according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing an element array according to this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the element array according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of laminated structure elements 10 arranged two-dimensionally, and two kinds of fillers 18 and 19 arranged therebetween. It is out. The filler 18 contains silicon rubber and absorbs vibration generated in the laminated structure element 10. In addition, the filler 19 adheres the laminated structure elements 10 coated with the filler 18 to each other.

  A method of manufacturing the element array according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 17A, coating layers 18a and 19a are sequentially formed on the laminated structure element 10 by using two kinds of coating materials. About the coating method, it is the same as that of what was demonstrated in process S12 of FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 17B, a plurality of double-coated elements are arranged. Furthermore, the element array shown in FIG. 16 is produced by integrating the outer coating layer 19a by heating or the like.

According to this embodiment, the filler which has a several different function can be provided easily.
Here, the element array manufacturing method according to the present embodiment can be used in combination with the element array manufacturing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. That is, as the outer coating layer 19a shown in FIG. 17A, a material that can be removed by a physical or chemical action in a later step is used. Then, as shown in FIG. 17B, after arranging a plurality of elements coated twice, the outer coating layer 19a is removed, and a filler is disposed between the remaining coating layers.

  Next, an element array manufacturing method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a method for manufacturing an element array including a single layer laminated structure element in which electrodes are formed on both ends of a piezoelectric material will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing an element array according to this embodiment.

  First, in steps S31 to S33 of FIG. 18, a coated piezoelectric element is manufactured. That is, in step S31, as shown in FIG. 19A, the piezoelectric material is formed into a columnar shape. In the present embodiment, the cross-section 51a of the columnar piezoelectric material 51 is the bottom surface of the piezoelectric element arranged in the element array. Next, in step S32, as shown in FIG. 19B, a coating layer 52 is formed on the columnar piezoelectric material using a filler material. The coating method is the same as that described in step S12 of FIG. Next, in step S33, the coated columnar piezoelectric material is cut. Thereby, the coated piezoelectric element 53 is produced.

  In step S34 of FIG. 18, as shown in FIG. 19D, a plurality of coated piezoelectric elements 53 are arranged in a desired arrangement by being bundled, brought to a jig, or sucked. At that time, the cut surface cut in step S33, that is, the surface from which the piezoelectric element 54 is exposed is made to face up and down.

  Next, in step S35, as shown in FIG. 22E, for example, the coating layer of the coated piezoelectric material 53 is integrated by heating. Further, in step S36, as shown in FIG. 22F, electrodes 55 and 56 are formed on the end face of the piezoelectric element 54 exposed on the surface. In that case, for example, a method of sputtering an electrode material using a metal mask, a method of masking and etching an electrode material layer formed by vacuum deposition or the like using a resist, and the like are used. Further, either one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the element array may be a common electrode (electrode 56). Thereby, an element array in which a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators are two-dimensionally arranged is manufactured.

In this embodiment, an element array of a single-layer piezoelectric vibrator was produced. However, instead of the columnar piezoelectric material shown in FIG. 19 (a), a piezoelectric vibration having a plurality of piezoelectric material layers can be obtained by using a side electrode formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric materials and electrode layers. A child element array can be fabricated.
Further, in step S32 of FIG. 18, a plurality of different types of coating layers may be formed on the columnar piezoelectric material. Thereby, like what was demonstrated in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, the filler which has a several different function can be provided.

  According to this embodiment, since a coated element is produced by cutting a coated continuum, a large number of coated elements can be produced at high speed. In this case, the step of exposing the end face of the element can be omitted, so that the manufacturing efficiency of the element array can be improved.

Next, an element array according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing an element array according to this embodiment.
In the element arrays according to the first to fourth embodiments described above, a plurality of stacked structure elements are arbitrarily arranged on a two-dimensional plane. However, as shown in FIG. 20, it is also possible to arrange a plurality of laminated structure elements 10 three-dimensionally between the fillers 60.

FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the element array shown in FIG.
First, as shown to (a) of FIG. 21, the multilayered structure element 10 is coated with a filler, and the coated elements 62a-62c are produced. At that time, not only the side surface of the laminated structure element 10 but also the upper surface and / or the lower surface are coated. Further, the thickness of the coating layer 61 is adjusted so as to have a predetermined thickness for each of the upper surface, the lower surface, and the side surface according to the arrangement of the elements in the element array.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 21B, the coated elements 62a to 62c are arranged. Further, by integrating the coating layer 61 by heating or the like, the element array shown in FIG. 20 is manufactured.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a modification of the element array according to the present embodiment. The element array shown in FIG. 22 includes a plurality of spherical elements 70 arranged three-dimensionally. A filler 71 is disposed between the plurality of spherical elements 70.
FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the element array shown in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 23A, a coated element 73 is manufactured by coating a spherical element 70 with a filler. At that time, the thickness of the coating layer 72 may be changed according to the arrangement of the elements in the element array.
Next, as shown in FIG. 23B, the coated elements 73 are arranged. Further, by integrating the coating layer 72 by heating or the like, the element array shown in FIG. 22 is manufactured.

  As described above, according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention, even an element having a complicated structure that has been difficult to be arrayed in the past or an element having a high function can be easily performed. Can be arrayed. Therefore, an element array with high performance can be realized using these elements. In the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention, a laminated structure element in which a plurality of dielectric layers and internal electrodes are alternately laminated is used as such an element. A laminated structure element having a dielectric layer and other sensor elements may be used. Examples of such elements include acoustic sensors, piezoelectric actuators, infrared sensors (pyroelectric sensors), deformable mirrors that adjust light beams such as aberration correction, variable focus lenses, and optical elements. It is done.

  An ultrasonic transducer array can be produced using the element arrays according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention described above. FIG. 24 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing an ultrasonic transducer array according to an embodiment of the present invention. This ultrasonic transducer array includes an element array (1-3 composite) including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 81, a wiring board 84, a backing layer 85, and an acoustic matching layer 86.

  In the element array 80, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 81 are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, and a filler 82 is arranged between them. The ultrasonic transducer 81 includes a plurality of piezoelectric material layers 81a and a plurality of internal electrodes 81b that are alternately stacked, an insulating material 81c provided at one end of the internal electrode 81b, a side electrode 81d, and an upper electrode 81e. It is out. A common electrode 83 is formed on the lower surface of the element array 80. An ultrasonic wave is generated from each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 81 by applying a voltage to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 81 via these electrodes. At that time, by driving each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 81 while giving a predetermined delay time, an ultrasonic beam focused in a desired direction and depth can be transmitted.

  Wiring is formed on the wiring board 84 corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 81. A backing layer 85 is disposed behind the wiring board 84 (upper side in the figure). The backing layer 85 is formed of an epoxy resin containing metal powder, rubber containing ferrite powder, or the like, and quickly attenuates unnecessary vibration generated from the ultrasonic transducer 81. In addition, an acoustic matching layer 86 is disposed in front of the common electrode 83 (lower side in the figure). The acoustic matching layer 86 is made of Pyrex (registered trademark) glass, which is easy to transmit ultrasonic waves, or an epoxy resin containing metal powder, and efficiently transmits ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic transducer 81 to the subject.

A method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer array according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer array according to the present embodiment.
First, in step S41, an element array (1-3 composite) including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers is produced. As a method for manufacturing the element array, any of the element array manufacturing methods according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention may be used. In this embodiment, PZT is used as the material of the dielectric layer, and the upper electrode 81d and the lower electrode (common electrode 83) of each ultrasonic transducer are formed after the elements are arrayed.

Next, in step S42, the wiring substrate 81 on which wiring is formed is disposed on the upper surface of the element array on which the upper electrode 81d is formed.
Next, in step S43, the backing layer 85 and the acoustic matching layer 86 are disposed. Thereby, the ultrasonic transducer array shown in FIG. 24 is produced.

  According to this embodiment, a two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array using an ultrasonic transducer having a complicated structure including a plurality of dielectric layers and side electrodes can be easily manufactured. Therefore, an ultrasonic probe that operates efficiently even at a low voltage can be manufactured using such an ultrasonic transducer array.

  In this embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer array is manufactured using one type of ultrasonic transducer, but a plurality of different types of ultrasonic transducers may be used. For example, it is possible to configure one ultrasonic transducer array using ultrasonic transmitting elements and ultrasonic receiving elements having different sensitivities according to frequency bands. As described above, by using an element that is optimal for each function, it is possible to efficiently transmit ultrasonic waves and increase the reception sensitivity of ultrasonic waves. In addition, by arranging the ultrasonic transmitting elements and the ultrasonic receiving elements so as to be in an optimum arrangement, it is possible to transmit an ultrasonic beam with suppressed side lobes and to crosstalk between a plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements. And the SN ratio of the detection signal can be improved. As a result, the image quality of the ultrasonic image generated in the ultrasonic imaging apparatus can be improved.

It is a mimetic diagram showing an element array concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the laminated structure element shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of the element array which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the laminated structure element arranged in the element array which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the coating method of the laminated structure element using a resin film. It is a figure for demonstrating the coating method of the laminated structure element using a liquid coating material. It is a figure for demonstrating the coating method of the laminated structure element using a shaping | molding die. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to expose the end surface of a coated element. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a plurality of coated elements arranged. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence variation of an element array. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence variation of an element array. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence variation of an element array. It is a figure which shows the element array using the laminated structure element | device whose bottom face is a rectangle. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of the element array which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the element array which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the element array which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the element array which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of the element array which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the element array which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the element array which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the element array which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the element array which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the element array shown in FIG. It is a partial cross section perspective view showing an ultrasonic transducer array concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of the ultrasonic transducer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 100 Multilayer structure element 11, 21 Lower electrode (lower electrode layer)
12, 22, 81a Dielectric layer (piezoelectric material layer)
13, 23, 81b Internal electrode (internal electrode layer)
14, 24, 81d Upper electrode (upper electrode layer)
15, 25, 80e Side electrode 16, 26, 81c Insulating material 17, 18, 19, 71, 82 Filler 19a, 43-45, 52, 61, 72 Coating layer 20a, 20b Side surface 30, 41a, 41b, 42a, 42b, ...
62a to 62c, 73 Coated element 31 Resin film 33, 36 Liquid coating material 35, 37 Mold 50 Substrate 51 Columnar piezoelectric material 51a Cross section 53 Coated piezoelectric material 54 Piezoelectric element 55, 56 Electrode 70 Spherical element 80 Element Array (1-3 composite)
81 Ultrasonic transducer 83 Common electrode 84 Wiring board 85 Backing layer 86 Acoustic matching layer

Claims (11)

A method of manufacturing an element array in which a plurality of elements are arranged between fillers,
A step (a) of forming a coating layer having a predetermined thickness and / or shape on each of the plurality of elements by a material serving as the filler;
Arranging a plurality of coated elements formed with coating layers such that the coated surface of each coated element is in a predetermined arrangement in contact with at least one other coated element ;
A step (c) of integrating a plurality of coating layers respectively formed on the plurality of devices by integrating a coating layer of each device with a coating layer of another device ;
The manufacturing method of the element array which comprises this. The step (a) forms a second coating layer with a second material different from the first material after forming a first coating layer with a first material on each of the plurality of elements. Including
Step (c) comprises integrating the second coating layer;
The manufacturing method of the element array of Claim 1. A method of manufacturing an element array in which a plurality of elements are arranged between fillers,
(A) forming a coating layer having a predetermined thickness and / or shape on each of the plurality of elements with a material removable by physical or chemical action;
(B) arranging and fixing a plurality of coated elements formed with a coating layer on a substrate such that a coating surface of each coated element is in a predetermined arrangement in contact with at least one other coated element; When,
A step (c) of removing a plurality of coating layers respectively formed on the plurality of elements by the physical or chemical action;
A step (d) of disposing a filler between the plurality of elements disposed on the substrate;
The manufacturing method of the element array which comprises this. Before the step (a), further comprising a step of forming a first coating layer with a first material on each of the plurality of elements;
Step (a) comprises forming a second coating layer around the first coating layer with a material removable by physical or chemical action;
Step (c) comprises removing the second coating layer by the physical or chemical action;
The manufacturing method of the element array of Claim 3.   Step (a) includes controlling the thickness and / or shape of the coating layer formed on each of the plurality of elements in accordance with the arrangement interval and / or arrangement of the plurality of elements in the element array. The manufacturing method of the element array of any one of Claims 1-4. Each of the plurality of elements includes at least two dielectric layers, an electrode layer disposed between the two dielectric layers, and a side electrode disposed on a side surface of the two dielectric layers. A laminated structure element including
Step (b) includes arranging the plurality of elements in one dimension, 1.5 dimensions, two dimensions, or three dimensions.
The manufacturing method of the element array of any one of Claims 1-5. Each of the plurality of elements is a laminated structure element including at least a dielectric layer and a plurality of electrode layers respectively disposed on an upper surface and a lower surface of the dielectric layer,
Step (b) includes arranging the plurality of elements in three dimensions.
The manufacturing method of the element array of any one of Claims 1-5. Each of the plurality of elements is a sensor element including an acoustic sensor and an infrared sensor,
Step (b) includes disposing the plurality of elements in 1.5, 2 or 3 dimensions;
The manufacturing method of the element array of any one of Claims 1-5. A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer array having a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators each including at least a piezoelectric material layer and an electrode layer,
A step (a) of forming a coating layer having a predetermined thickness and / or shape on each of the plurality of piezoelectric vibrators by a material serving as a filler;
(B) arranging a plurality of coated piezoelectric vibrators having a coating layer formed thereon such that a coating surface of each coated piezoelectric vibrator is in a predetermined arrangement in contact with at least one other coated piezoelectric vibrator; When,
By integrating a coating layer of each piezoelectric vibrator with a coating layer of another piezoelectric vibrator, and integrating a plurality of coating layers respectively formed on the plurality of piezoelectric vibrators, a piezoelectric vibrator array A step (c) of producing
A step (d) of forming an electrode on each end face of the plurality of piezoelectric vibrators and providing a wiring on one bottom surface of the piezoelectric vibrator array;
Forming a common electrode on the other bottom surface of the piezoelectric vibrator array;
A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer array comprising:   Each of the piezoelectric vibrators includes at least two piezoelectric material layers, an electrode layer disposed between the two piezoelectric material layers, and a side electrode provided on a side surface of the two piezoelectric material layers. The manufacturing method of the ultrasonic transducer array of Claim 9 containing this. In the step (a), a first coating layer is formed on each of the plurality of elements by a first material that becomes a sound absorbing layer, and then a second coating layer is formed by a second material that becomes an adhesive layer. Including
Step (c) comprises integrating the second coating layer;
The manufacturing method of the ultrasonic transducer array of Claim 9 or 10.

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