JPH04338000A - Manufacture of ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To work the groove of a piezoelectric oscillator member without mismatching the surface state of the piezoelectric oscillator member, damaging the piezoelectric oscillator member or peeling adhesion between an acoustic matching layer and a backing member. CONSTITUTION:Concerning the manufacture of the ultrasonic probe having a groove work process to form the groove and to separate a piezoelectric oscillator 2 into plural piezoelectric oscillator parts 2A by cutting a piezoelectric oscillator member 1 formed by providing an acoustic matching layer 3 on the ultrasonic radiating face of one piezoelectric oscillator 2 and providing an acoustic matching layer 4 and a backing member 5 on the opposite side face, one process is provided at least for the groove work process among the first process to form a groove 6A shallower than prescribed depth D2 set to the piezo electric oscillator member 1 beforehand and further to form a groove 6B with depth D2 later by cutting this groove 6A part and the second process to form a groove narrower than prescribed width A1 set to the piezoelectric oscillator member 1 beforehand and further to form the groove of the prescribed width A1 later by cutting this groove part.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Object of the invention]

0002

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an array-type ultrasonic probe installed in an ultrasonic diagnostic device, and in particular improves the groove machining process of cutting piezoelectric vibrators into an array shape using a dicing machine or the like. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe.

0003

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, array type ultrasonic probes have been used as ultrasonic probes. This array type ultrasonic probe is provided with a piezoelectric vibrator member 100 as shown in FIG. 8, for example. In this piezoelectric vibrator member 100, a plurality of piezoelectric vibrator portions 101 are arranged. A single or multilayer acoustic matching layer 103 is formed on the ultrasonic radiation surface of each piezoelectric vibrator portion 101, and on the back surface of the piezoelectric vibrator portion 101 (the surface opposite to the ultrasonic radiation surface),
A single or multilayer acoustic matching layer 104 is formed, and a backing material 105 is further bonded onto the acoustic matching layer 104.

When manufacturing this piezoelectric vibrator member 100, first, one or more acoustic matching layers are placed on the ultrasonic emission surface of a plate-shaped piezoelectric vibrator, and one or more acoustic matching layers are placed on the back surface of the piezoelectric vibrator. A multilayer acoustic matching layer is formed in the form of a thin film, and a plate-shaped backing material is adhered onto the acoustic matching layer on the back side. As a result, one rectangular parallelepiped-shaped piezoelectric vibrator member is obtained. Next, this piezoelectric vibrator member is cut using a dicing machine or the like to form a plurality of grooves 106 as shown in FIG. As a result, the piezoelectric vibrator and the acoustic matching layer on the ultrasonic radiation surface side are separated into a plurality of parts, and a plurality of piezoelectric vibrator parts 10 are separated.
1 are arranged in an array.

In the groove machining process for forming the groove 106,
A rotary blade having a thickness equal to the width A0 of the groove 106 is moved relative to the piezoelectric vibrator member to cut it. Further, during cutting, the positional relationship between the piezoelectric vibrator member and the rotary blade is adjusted in advance so that the blade contacts a portion from the top surface of the piezoelectric vibrator member to a depth D0. In this way, each time the piezoelectric vibrator member is moved once with respect to one rotating blade, the width A0 and the depth D0 are changed.
One groove 106 is formed.

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the case of the above-mentioned prior art, the rotating blade relatively cuts the piezoelectric vibrator member while pressing it to a depth D0 with a width A0. , a large stress is applied to the piezoelectric vibrator member during cutting. As a result, the acoustic matching layer 103
, 104, the workability (ease of processing) of the backing material 105, and the adhesive strength, the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 of the groove processing term.
00 may have burrs, chipping, or surface irregularities, the piezoelectric vibrator portion 101 may be cracked, or the acoustic matching layers 103 and 104 may be damaged.
There was a problem that adhesive peeling of the backing material 105 occurred.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and its purpose is to prevent irregularities in the surface condition of piezoelectric vibrator members, breakage of piezoelectric vibrators, and acoustic matching layers and backings. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe that can process grooves in a piezoelectric vibrator member without causing adhesive peeling of materials.

[Configuration of the invention]

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an acoustic wave on at least one of the ultrasonic radiation surface and the opposite surface of one piezoelectric vibrator. cutting a piezoelectric vibrator member provided with at least one of a matching layer and a backing material to form a groove;
In the method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe, the method includes a groove machining process for separating the piezoelectric vibrator into a plurality of piezoelectric vibrator parts, wherein the groove machining process is shallower than a predetermined depth preset in the piezoelectric vibrator member. A first step of further cutting the groove portion after forming the groove to form a groove of the predetermined depth, and a further step after forming the groove narrower than the predetermined width set in advance in the piezoelectric vibrator member. The present invention is characterized by comprising at least one of the second steps of cutting the groove portion to form the groove of the predetermined width.

0010

[Operation] In the method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe of the present invention,
In the first step and the second step, the piezoelectric vibrator member is cut in two steps, and in each step, the width is smaller than a predetermined width or the depth is shallower than a predetermined depth. A groove is formed by cutting the piezoelectric vibrator member at a certain depth. Therefore, in each of the above steps, the stress applied to the piezoelectric vibrator member during cutting can be reduced compared to the conventional method.

For example, when grooving is performed by pressing a rotating blade of a dicing machine or the like against a piezoelectric vibrator member and moving the rotary blade relative to the piezoelectric vibrator member, the first method described above is applied. If groove machining is performed using at least one of the second step and the second step, the rotating blade presses the piezoelectric vibrator member with a smaller width or shallower depth than in the conventional method at each stage of this process. , cut. That is, since the stress applied by the blade to the piezoelectric vibrator member at each stage of this process can be reduced compared to the conventional method, it is possible to reduce the stress applied to the piezoelectric vibrator member during groove machining.

0012

[Embodiments] Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment First, acoustic matching layers 3 and 4 are formed into thin films on the ultrasonic emission surface and the back surface (the surface opposite to the ultrasonic emission surface) of a single plate-shaped piezoelectric vibrator 2, respectively. Then, a plate-shaped backing material 5 is adhered onto the acoustic matching layer 4 on the back side to create a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped piezoelectric vibrator member 1. The upper part of this piezoelectric vibrator member 1 (
A groove is created by cutting the portion (on the ultrasonic emission surface side) with a rotating blade 10 of a dicing machine as shown in FIG.

In this groove machining step, first, as shown in FIG. By moving in the b direction, a plurality of grooves 6A having a width of A1 and a depth of D1 as shown in FIG. 1 are formed. That is, one groove 6A is formed each time the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 is moved once in the b direction with respect to one rotary blade 10. At this time, the thickness of the rotating blade 10 is A1, and the top surface 3 of the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 is
The rotary blade 10 and the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 are arranged so that the distance between the straight line A parallel to A and in contact with the lower part of the rotary blade 10 and the uppermost surface 3A is D1. That is,
The rotating blade 10 cuts the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 while pressing the upper part thereof with a width A1 and a thickness D1.

After forming the plurality of grooves 6A as described above, the rotary blade 10 further forms the grooves 6A to a depth of D2.
Width A1 and depth D2 as shown in Figure 1.
A groove 6B is formed. At this cutting stage, the above straight line A
The distance between the top surface 3A of the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 is D2
The rotating blade 10 and the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 are arranged so that. Then, the groove 6B is formed by moving the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 in the direction of arrow b toward the rotary blade 10 while aligning the position of the groove 6A with the position of the rotary blade 10. In this case, the width of the portion where the rotary blade 10 presses the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 during cutting is A1, and the depth (length in the direction perpendicular to the width direction) is the distance from the depth D2 to the depth D1. Subtracted depth D3
becomes.

By the above groove processing, a plurality of grooves 6B are formed in the piezoelectric vibrator member 1, and the piezoelectric vibrator 2 and the acoustic matching layer 3 are
is separated into a plurality of parts to form a plurality of piezoelectric vibrator parts 2A.
are arranged in one line. This piezoelectric vibrator member 1
However, as shown in FIG. 3, an ultrasound probe 9 is manufactured by being covered with a protection member 7 and having an acoustic lens 8 attached on the acoustic matching layer 3 on the ultrasound emission side. This ultrasonic probe 9 is connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic device (not shown) via a cable 20.

In the method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment, the groove machining is performed in two stages as described above.
The depth of the portion where the rotary blade 10 presses the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 during cutting is D1 at the first stage and D3 at the next stage. Groove 6B to be finally formed in both cases
depth D2. That is, the stress applied by the rotary blade 10 to the piezoelectric vibrator member 1 at each stage during groove machining is significantly reduced compared to the conventional method of cutting the width A1 to the depth D2 at one time.

Next, methods of manufacturing ultrasonic probes according to second to fifth embodiments of the present invention will be explained. The second of these
In the fifth example as well, groove processing is performed by moving a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped piezoelectric vibrator member produced in the same manner as in the first example to the rotating blade of a dicing machine similar to that in the first example. conduct. Then, the array-shaped piezoelectric vibrator member obtained by groove processing is covered with a protective member in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and an acoustic lens is attached to manufacture an ultrasonic probe. These second to fifth embodiments differ from the first embodiment only in the cutting process of the groove processing step, and other points are the same as the first embodiment, so the following will be explained.
Only the groove processing steps of the second to fifth embodiments will be explained using FIGS. 4 to 7, respectively. Note that in FIGS. 4 to 7, the same parts as in FIG.

Second Embodiment As shown in FIG. 4, the piezoelectric vibrator member 21 is first cut with a rotary blade having a thickness A2 smaller than the width A1 to form a plurality of grooves 22A each having a width A2 and a depth D2. Form. Next, the groove 22A portion of the piezoelectric vibrator member 21 is cut again using a rotary blade having a thickness of A1, and the width A1,
A plurality of grooves 22B having a depth D2 are formed. In this case, the width of the part where the rotary blade presses the piezoelectric vibrator member 21 during groove processing is A2 in the first stage, and A3, which is A2 subtracted from A1, in the next stage.
Both widths are smaller than the width A1 of the groove 22B to be finally formed. Therefore, the stress that the rotary blade applies to the piezoelectric vibrator member 21 at each stage during groove machining is significantly reduced compared to the conventional method of cutting the width A1 to the depth D2 at one time.

Third Embodiment As shown in FIG. 5, in the first stage, the thickness is A1.
cutting the piezoelectric vibrator member 31 with a rotating blade;
A plurality of grooves 32A having a width A1 and a depth D1 are formed in the same manner as in the first step of the first embodiment. Next, in the second step, the groove 32A portion of the piezoelectric vibrator member 31 is cut again to a depth D2 using a rotary blade having a thickness of A2 to form a plurality of grooves 32B as shown in FIG. the last third
In step , the groove 32B portion is further cut again using a rotary blade having a thickness of A1 to finally form a plurality of grooves 32C having a width of A1 and a depth of D2.

In this case, the portion where the rotary blade presses the piezoelectric vibrator member 31 during groove machining has a depth of D1 in the first stage, and a width of A2 and a depth of D1 in the second stage. Yes, the width is A3 and the depth is D1 in the third stage.
It is. That is, at any stage, at least one of the width and depth is the width A1 and the depth D2 of the finally formed groove 32C.
smaller than Therefore, the stress applied by the rotary blade to the piezoelectric vibrator member 31 at each stage during groove machining is significantly reduced compared to the conventional method of cutting the width A1 to the depth D2 at one time.

Fourth Embodiment As shown in FIG. 6, in the first stage, the thickness is A2.
The piezoelectric vibrator member 41 is cut with a rotating blade of 1, and the width A2 and the depth D are cut in the same manner as in the first step of the second embodiment.
2. A plurality of grooves 42A are formed. Next, in the second step, the groove 42A portion is cut to a depth D1 using a rotating blade having a thickness of A1 to form a plurality of grooves 42B. Finally, in the third step, the groove 42B portion is further cut to a depth D2 using the rotary blade used in the second step, and finally a plurality of grooves 42C having a width A1 and a depth D2 are formed.

In this case, the portion where the rotary blade presses the piezoelectric vibrator member 41 during groove processing has a width of A2 in the first stage, and a width of A3 and a depth of D1 in the second stage. Yes, the width is A3 and the depth is D3 in the third stage.
It is. That is, at any stage, at least one of the width and depth is smaller than the width A1 and depth D2 of the groove 42C to be finally formed. Therefore, the stress that the rotary blade applies to the piezoelectric vibrator member 41 at each stage during groove machining is as follows:
This is significantly reduced compared to the method of cutting width A1 to depth D2 at one time.

Fifth Embodiment As shown in FIG. 7, at the first stage, the thickness is A1.
The piezoelectric vibrator member 51 is cut using a rotating blade to form a plurality of grooves 52A having a width A1 and a depth D1, as in the first step of the first embodiment. In the next step, the groove 52A is further cut to a depth of D2 using a rotary blade with a thickness of A2, and finally, the upper part has a width of A1.
, A plurality of grooves 52B having a width of A2 and a depth of D2 are formed in the lower part.

In this case, the portion where the rotary blade presses the piezoelectric vibrator member 51 during groove machining has a depth of D1 in the first stage, and a width of A3 and a depth of D3 in the next stage. . That is, at any stage, at least one of the width and the depth is smaller than the width A1 and the depth D2, so the stress applied by the rotating blade to the piezoelectric vibrator member 51 at each stage during groove machining is the same as in the conventional method. Width A1 at a time
This is significantly reduced compared to the method of cutting to depth D2.

As described above, in the first to fifth embodiments, the piezoelectric vibrator members 1, 21, 31,
Since the stress applied to the piezoelectric vibrator members 1, 21, 31 can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional
, 41 and 51 have surface irregularities such as burrs, chipping, and surface irregularities, defects in the piezoelectric vibrator portion 2A, and acoustic matching layer 3.
, 4, without causing adhesive peeling of the backing material 5,
It becomes possible to perform excellent groove machining and efficiently create a high-quality array-shaped piezoelectric vibrator member. In addition, since the stress applied to the piezoelectric vibrator members 1, 21, 31, 41, and 51 during groove machining is reduced, it is possible to use materials that are difficult to use in conventional cutting processes as workpieces, and to create grooves with fine pitches. Since it becomes possible to perform processing, it becomes possible to improve the performance of the ultrasonic probe.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above,
The present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the first to fifth embodiments described above, a groove was formed by making a cut as deep as the acoustic matching layer 4 on the back side of the piezoelectric vibrator 2, but a cut reaching as far as the backing material 5 was made. Grooving may also be performed. Further, in the first to fifth embodiments described above, the acoustic matching layers 3 and 4 were formed on both the ultrasonic emission surface and the back surface of the piezoelectric vibrator 2, respectively, and the backing material 5 was bonded to the back surface side. The acoustic matching layer may be formed only on one of the ultrasonic emission surface and the back surface of the piezoelectric vibrator.

[0028]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, in the method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe of the present invention, the stress applied to the piezoelectric vibrator member during groove processing can be reduced, so that the surface condition of the piezoelectric vibrator member can be improved. Good groove processing can be performed without causing irregularities, damage to the piezoelectric vibrator, or peeling of adhesive between the acoustic matching layer and the backing material. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently manufacture a high-performance ultrasonic probe.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a groove machining step in a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a rotating blade and a piezoelectric vibrator member in the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an ultrasound probe manufactured by the method of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a groove machining step in a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a groove machining step in a method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a groove machining step in a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a groove machining step in a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a groove machining step in a conventional method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Piezoelectric vibrator member 2 Piezoelectric vibrator 2A piezoelectric vibrator part 3. Acoustic matching layer 4 Acoustic matching layer 5 Backing material 6A, 6B groove 9 Ultrasonic probe

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A piezoelectric vibrator comprising at least one of an acoustic matching layer and a backing material provided on at least one of the ultrasonic emission surface and the opposite surface of one piezoelectric vibrator. In the method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe, the method includes a groove machining step of cutting a child member to form a groove, thereby separating the piezoelectric vibrator into a plurality of piezoelectric vibrator parts, the groove machining step cutting the piezoelectric vibrator. a first step of forming a groove shallower than a predetermined depth in the member and then cutting this groove portion to form a groove with the predetermined depth; and a predetermined depth preset in the piezoelectric vibrator member. A method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe, comprising at least one of a second step of forming a groove having a predetermined width and then cutting this groove portion to form a groove having a predetermined width. .