WO2012050172A1 - 超音波トランスデューサおよびそれを用いた超音波診断装置 - Google Patents
超音波トランスデューサおよびそれを用いた超音波診断装置 Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2012050172A1 WO2012050172A1 PCT/JP2011/073582 JP2011073582W WO2012050172A1 WO 2012050172 A1 WO2012050172 A1 WO 2012050172A1 JP 2011073582 W JP2011073582 W JP 2011073582W WO 2012050172 A1 WO2012050172 A1 WO 2012050172A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- ultrasonic transducer
- insulating film
- protrusion
- cavity
- membrane
- Prior art date
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02N—ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H02N1/00—Electrostatic generators or motors using a solid moving electrostatic charge carrier
- H02N1/06—Influence generators
- H02N1/08—Influence generators with conductive charge carrier, i.e. capacitor machines
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R19/00—Electrostatic transducers
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
- A61B8/4483—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
- A61B8/4483—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
- A61B8/4494—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B06—GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL
- B06B—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, e.g. FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL
- B06B1/00—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
- B06B1/02—Methods or apparatus for generating mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency making use of electrical energy
- B06B1/0292—Electrostatic transducers, e.g. electret-type
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
- G01N29/22—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details
- G01N29/24—Probes
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
- G01N29/22—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details
- G01N29/24—Probes
- G01N29/2406—Electrostatic or capacitive probes, e.g. electret or cMUT-probes
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R19/00—Electrostatic transducers
- H04R19/04—Microphones
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the ultrasonic transducer, and more particularly to an ultrasonic transducer manufactured by MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology.
- MEMS Micro Electro Mechanical Systems
- Ultrasonic transducers are used for diagnosis of tumors in the human body, nondestructive inspection of structures, fluid velocity detection, etc. by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves.
- CMUT Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic
- Patent Document 1 the protrusion of the insulating film protruding in the cavity portion of the CMUT is formed, and the lower surface of the protrusion is in contact with the lower surface of the cavity even when a DC voltage higher than the collapse voltage or an AC voltage is applied. A structure is shown in which does not contact the lower surface of the cavity. However, since the protrusion has a structure sandwiched between the upper and lower electrodes, charge injection into the insulating film of the protrusion is inevitable.
- Patent Document 2 has a structure in which a part of the electrode is pierced so that the region where the lower surface of the membrane contacts the lower surface of the cavity is not sandwiched between the upper and lower electrodes.
- the electric field strength in the membrane insulating film in the contact region is reduced, so that charge injection can be avoided, but the area of the overlapping portion of the upper and lower electrodes is reduced correspondingly, the drive voltage of the CMUT is increased, The reception sensitivity will be reduced.
- Patent Document 3 the protrusion of the insulating film protruding into the cavity is not sandwiched between the upper and lower electrodes. In this case as well, for the same reason as described above, the CMUT drive voltage increases and the reception sensitivity decreases.
- Patent Document 4 describes the content of adjusting the rigidity of the entire membrane and controlling the center frequency and bandwidth of the CMUT by providing a rigid member on the membrane.
- the introduction of the rigid member brings about an increase in driving voltage, and securing device operation reliability becomes a problem.
- the present invention provides a CMUT having a protrusion protruding into a cavity, and at least one of the upper electrode and the lower electrode is disposed at a position where the protrusion does not overlap with the protrusion as viewed from above, and the lower surface of the protrusion is the lower surface of the cavity.
- the ultrasonic transducer has a high transmission sound pressure and a highly reliable structure that secures a voltage margin between the lower surface of the membrane and the lower surface of the membrane in contact with the lower surface of the cavity, and suppresses charge injection into the membrane insulating film.
- An object is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
- an ultrasonic transducer of the present invention includes a lower electrode, a cavity formed on the lower electrode and surrounded by an insulating film, and an upper electrode formed on the cavity.
- the ultrasonic transducer having a plurality of insulating film protrusions formed in the cavity includes a plurality of rigid members formed on the cavity, and includes at least one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode.
- the electrode is disposed at a position where it does not overlap with the protrusion of the insulating film when viewed from the top surface by penetrating the portion overlapping the protrusion of the insulating film, and each of the rigid members is viewed from the protrusion and top surface of the insulating film. They are arranged so that there are overlapping regions.
- the rigid member is a beam member
- the membrane including the insulating film, the upper electrode, and the beam member has a thickness of a portion where the beam member is disposed.
- the beam member may be thicker than the portion where the member is not disposed.
- the ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention may further include an upper insulating film formed so as to cover the upper electrode and the cavity, and the beam member may be disposed on the upper insulating film.
- the ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention may further include an upper insulating film formed to cover the upper electrode and the cavity, and the beam member may be embedded in the upper insulating film. .
- the rigid member may be a member having a higher Young's modulus than the membrane formed by the insulating film, the upper electrode, and the beam member.
- the ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention further includes an upper insulating film formed so as to cover the upper electrode and the cavity, and the high Young's modulus member is embedded in the upper insulating film. Things can be used.
- the high Young's modulus member may be formed by embedding a metal material such as tungsten or a ceramic material such as alumina.
- the high Young's modulus member may be formed by modifying the upper insulating film by ion implantation.
- the center of the rigid member may be disposed so as to coincide with the center of the protrusion of the insulating film as viewed from above.
- the plurality of insulating film protrusions may be arranged so as to overlap one rigid member.
- the protrusion of the insulating film may be disposed on the upper surface of the cavity.
- the protrusion of the insulating film may be disposed on the lower surface of the cavity.
- the plurality of insulating film protrusions and the plurality of rigid members may be arranged at equal intervals when viewed from above.
- the cavity may be circular or polygonal when viewed from above.
- the protrusion of the insulator may be circular or polygonal when viewed from above.
- the rigid member may have a circular shape, a cross shape, or a polygonal shape as viewed from above.
- the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention uses any one of the above-described ultrasonic transducers and a bias unit.
- CMUT capacitance detection type ultrasonic transducer
- the voltage margin between the state where the lower surface of the protrusion protruding into the cavity portion is in contact with the lower surface of the cavity and the state where the lower surface of the membrane is in contact with the lower surface of the cavity is expanded.
- at least a part of the protrusion protruding into the cavity and the rigid member or high Young's modulus member provided on the membrane when the CMUT is viewed from above This is realized by arranging the two to overlap.
- a cavity 102 surrounded by an insulating film 103 is formed in the upper layer of the lower electrode 101.
- An upper electrode 104 is disposed on the cavity 102 via an insulating film 103.
- electrostatic force acts between the upper electrode 104 and the lower electrode 101, and the insulating film 103 and the upper electrode 104 on the cavity 102 are formed.
- the membrane 105 vibrates at the frequency of the applied AC voltage, thereby transmitting an ultrasonic wave.
- SN ratio signal-to-noise ratio
- CMUT complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor
- the amount of change in capacity at the time of reception may be increased. It is possible to increase the amount of change in capacitance by increasing the number and area of CMUTs. In this case, however, the size of the transducer becomes large, and thus it is necessary to increase the amount of change in capacitance per unit area. That is, it is necessary to improve reception sensitivity. Alternatively, it is possible to increase the amount of change in capacity at the time of reception by increasing the transmission sound pressure and increasing the sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave reflected from the inspection object.
- the membrane lower surface 106 contacts the cavity lower surface 107 during driving, charge injection occurs in the insulating film, and the transmission / reception characteristics drift. Therefore, it is necessary to set CMUT driving conditions in a range in which the membrane lower surface 106 does not contact the cavity lower surface 107.
- the height of the cavity 102 varies due to manufacturing variations, so that the driving conditions are designed with a margin in addition to the condition that the membrane does not contact, and the amplitude of the membrane is much smaller than the height of the cavity 102.
- the upper limit of the transmission sound pressure is limited.
- FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the protrusion 108 provided on the lower side of the membrane 105 is in contact with the cavity lower surface 107. This state is referred to as a protrusion contact state.
- a voltage higher than the voltage at which the protrusion is brought into contact is applied.
- the membrane rigidity in the protrusion contact state is increased without increasing the rigidity of the entire membrane when the protrusion lower surface 106 is not in contact with the cavity lower surface 107, the above margin voltage can be widened. Transmission sound pressure can be improved without drifting of transmission / reception characteristics.
- the cross-sectional structure of the CMUT according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
- the CMUT includes a rectangular parallelepiped lower electrode 201 disposed on the substrate 206, a rectangular parallelepiped cavity 202 disposed on the lower electrode 201, a rectangular parallelepiped upper electrode 205 disposed on the cavity 202, and the like. Composed. Note that an insulating film 209 is formed between the lower electrode 201 and the cavity portion 202 so as to cover the lower electrode 201, and the cavity portion 202 and the lower electrode 201 are covered between the upper electrode 205 and the cavity portion 202.
- An insulating film 208 is formed, and at least one columnar protrusion 204 protruding from the lower surface of the insulating film 208 to the cavity 202 is disposed in the cavity 202.
- An insulating film 207 covers the insulating film 208.
- the protrusions 204 and the insulating films 207, 208, and 209 described above are formed of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like.
- the beam member as the rigid member 203 may be formed of the same material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like, as with the insulating films 207, 208, and 209, or may be a different material. Note that ultrasonic waves are transmitted when the membrane 210 including the insulating film 207, the upper electrode 205, and the insulating film 208 vibrates. In the future, for convenience of explanation, the surface of the protrusion 204 that faces the insulating film 209 across the cavity is referred to as the protrusion lower surface 211, and the surface of the insulating film 209 that is exposed to the cavity is referred to as the cavity lower surface 213. .
- a surface of the membrane 210 that is exposed to the cavity is referred to as a membrane lower surface 212.
- the protrusion lower surface 211 is in contact with the cavity lower surface 213, the voltage at that time is the protrusion contact voltage, the membrane lower surface 212 is in contact with the cavity lower surface 213, the membrane contact, and the voltage at that time is membrane contact This is called voltage.
- the difference between the membrane contact voltage and the protrusion contact voltage is referred to as a margin voltage.
- the method for manufacturing the CMUT shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
- the basic manufacturing method is described in Patent Document 3, and here, a method of forming a beam member which is the rigid member 203 will be described.
- the beam member is formed by a photolithography technique and a dry etching technique by depositing a thin film, such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride, which is a material of the beam member on the insulating film 207 by a plasma CVD method.
- a thin film such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride
- care must be taken so that the insulating film 207 does not become thin during dry etching.
- the beam member that is the rigid member 203 is a laminated film in the order of silicon nitride and silicon oxide when viewed from above, and the insulating film 207 is made of silicon nitride so that the base after the etching of the beam member that is the rigid member 203 is completed.
- the amount of the insulating film 207 is reduced, and the amount of change in the thickness of the membrane 210 before and after etching can be reduced.
- FIG. 2 shows a top view of FIG.
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG.
- the protrusion 204 and the like are seen through from the rigid member 203.
- the cavity 202 and the upper electrode 205 have a width in the vertical direction and a length in the horizontal direction, and the rigid member 203 has a length in the vertical direction and a width in the horizontal direction.
- the shape of the upper electrode 205 will be described.
- the upper electrode 205 has a plurality of circular holes.
- the protrusions 204 are arranged at substantially the center positions of the plurality of circular holes 214 of the upper electrode 205. Since the protrusion 204 is disposed in the hole 214 of the upper electrode 205 when viewed from the upper surface, the protrusion 204 is disposed at a position not overlapping the upper electrode 205. That is, there is no upper electrode 205 in the vertical direction of the protrusion 204. In FIG. 2, a part of the upper electrode 205 is penetrated, and the protrusion 204 and the upper electrode 205 are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed from above, but the electrode that penetrates may be the lower electrode 201. .
- At least one of the upper electrode 205 and the lower electrode 201 is disposed at a position that does not overlap the protrusion 204 when viewed from above.
- the reason for this arrangement is that when a DC voltage or an AC voltage is applied between the electrodes, and when the lower surface of the protrusion 211 comes into contact with the lower surface of the cavity 213, a strong electric field is applied to the protrusion 204 and the insulating film 209. This is because the distance between the electrodes is increased by penetrating the electrodes so that the electric field strength is reduced.
- At least one protrusion 204 is arranged at the center in the width direction of the cavity 202 when viewed from above.
- the rigid member 203 is disposed so as to partially overlap the hole 214 and the protrusion 204 of the upper electrode 205 as viewed from above.
- the rigid members 203 and the protrusions 204 are arranged at equal intervals in the cavity length direction when viewed from the top, but they may be arranged at unequal intervals. However, in the case of unequal intervals, a plurality of membrane contact voltages exist in one CMUT, which is not preferable in terms of design.
- the interval between the rigid members 203 and the protrusions 204 is preferably determined from the magnitude relationship between the membrane contact voltage and the protrusion contact voltage. For example, when the membrane contact voltage is lower than the protrusion contact voltage, the distance between the rigid member 203 and the protrusion 204 is narrowed to improve the membrane contact voltage. However, if the interval between the protrusions 204 is narrowed, the area of the upper electrode 205 is reduced and the sensitivity of the CMUT is lowered. Therefore, it is preferable to set the protrusion interval so as to satisfy the minimum marginal voltage at the design stage.
- the feature of the first embodiment is that at least one of the upper electrode 205 and the lower electrode 201 is disposed at a position where it does not overlap with the protrusion 204 protruding into the cavity 202 when viewed from above.
- the rigid member 203 and the protrusion 204 provided on the membrane 210 are arranged so as to partially overlap each other when viewed from above.
- membrane contact in order to obtain a high transmission sound pressure, membrane contact can be prevented even when the membrane 210 is vibrated to the maximum extent under the driving conditions in which the protrusion lower surface 211 contacts the cavity lower surface 213.
- the membrane contact voltage may be partially lower than the design due to manufacturing variations.
- the above structure prevents the membrane contact and injects charge into the insulating film 208 of the membrane 210. Can be reduced. For this reason, the operation reliability of CMUT can be improved.
- FIG. 6 shows a simulation result in which an external force of a certain magnitude is uniformly applied to the entire membrane 310 from the protrusion contact state of FIG. 6 and the strain of the membrane 310 is plotted by the distance from the center of the protrusion 304.
- FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the positional relationship between the rigid member and the protrusion and the magnitude of strain near the protrusion. As shown in FIG.
- FIG. 8C shows the relationship between the displacement d between the rigid member and the protrusion and the membrane contact voltage.
- FIG. 9 which is a top view
- the cuboidal rigid member 303 and the columnar protrusion 304 partially overlap each other when viewed from above, there is an effect of reducing distortion in the vicinity of the protrusion.
- the shape and arrangement of the rigid member 303 viewed from the upper surface may be appropriately determined according to desired frequency characteristics.
- at least a part of the plurality of columnar protrusions 304 may overlap with each other when viewed from above with respect to one rectangular solid member 303.
- the plurality of protrusions 304 are arranged so as not to overlap with the upper electrode 305 when viewed from the upper surface in the same manner as described above.
- the rigid member 303 is arranged so that at least a part of the plurality of protrusions 304 overlap each other when viewed from above.
- Such a structure is effective as a means for improving the membrane contact voltage when the cavity 302 is wide and the rigidity in the cavity width direction is low.
- the shape of the rigid member 303 may be a cross shape. In this structure, in the membrane between the protrusions 304, the membrane becomes thick at the portion where the rigid member 303 is disposed, and the rigidity can be improved.
- the contact voltage of the membrane between the protrusions can be improved.
- the rigidity of the membrane between the protrusions can be increased, but the area of the rigid member 203 is increased, the rigidity of the entire membrane is increased, and the driving voltage is increased.
- the contact voltage of the interprotrusion membrane can be increased without greatly changing the drive voltage.
- the shape of the membrane 310 be flat, a bulge or a dent may occur due to the residual stress of the formed film.
- the place where the rigid member 303 is embedded is changed.
- the residual stress distribution of the membrane 310 can be controlled, and the bulge or dent shape of the membrane 310 can be controlled.
- the structure of the CMUT according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
- the CMUT includes a rectangular parallelepiped lower electrode 501 disposed on the substrate 506, a cavity 502 disposed on the lower electrode 501, a rectangular parallelepiped upper electrode 505 disposed on the cavity 502, and the like.
- an insulating film 509 is formed between the lower electrode 501 and the cavity 502 so as to cover the lower electrode 501, and the cavity 502 and the lower electrode 501 are covered between the upper electrode 505 and the cavity 502.
- An insulating film 508 is formed. At least one or more columnar protrusions 504 protruding from the upper surface of the insulating film 509 to the cavity 502 are disposed in the cavity 502.
- the protrusion 504 is made of an insulating film. Further, at least one cuboid rigid member 503 is disposed on the upper surface of the insulating film 507.
- the beam member that is the rigid member 503 may be formed of the same material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like, like the insulating films 507, 508, and 509, or may be a different material. Note that the membrane 510 including the insulating film 507, the upper electrode 505, and the insulating film 508 vibrates to transmit ultrasonic waves.
- the surface of the protrusion 504 facing the insulating film 508 across the cavity is referred to as the protrusion upper surface 514, and the surface of the insulating film 509 exposed to the cavity is referred to as the cavity lower surface 513.
- the surface of the membrane 510 that is exposed to the cavity is referred to as a membrane lower surface 512.
- the protrusion upper surface 514 is in contact with the membrane lower surface 512, the voltage at that time is the protrusion contact voltage, the membrane lower surface 512 is in contact with the cavity lower surface 513, the membrane contact, and the voltage at that time is the membrane contact voltage. I will call it.
- the difference between the membrane contact voltage and the protrusion contact voltage is referred to as a margin voltage.
- the interval between the rigid members 503 and the protrusions 504 is preferably determined from the magnitude relationship between the membrane contact voltage and the protrusion contact voltage, as described in the first embodiment. For example, when the membrane contact voltage is lower than the protrusion contact voltage, the gap between the rigid member 503 and the protrusion 504 is narrowed to improve the membrane contact voltage.
- the protrusion 504 protrudes from the cavity lower surface 513 to the cavity 502.
- the projection 304 shown in FIG. 6 is in the same state as the structure protruding from the membrane lower surface 312 to the cavity 302. Therefore, even in the structure in which the protrusion 504 protrudes from the cavity lower surface 513, the difference between the protrusion contact voltage and the membrane contact voltage can be increased by arranging the rigid member and the protrusion so that the centers of the protrusions coincide with each other when viewed from above. The same effect as the ultrasonic transducer of Example 1 can be obtained.
- the maximum effect can be obtained when the centers of the rigid member 503 and the protrusion 504 coincide with each other when viewed from above, but there is an effect if even a part of them overlaps.
- the rigid member is disposed on the membrane surface.
- the rigid portion 503 may be embedded in the membrane 510, and the same as described in the first embodiment.
- the shape of the membrane 510 can be easily controlled.
- FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing one CMUT.
- the CMUT cell includes a rectangular parallelepiped lower electrode 701, a hollow portion 702 disposed on the lower electrode 701, a rectangular parallelepiped upper electrode 705 disposed on the hollow portion 702, and the like. Note that an insulating film 709 is formed between the lower electrode 701 and the cavity 702 so as to cover the lower electrode 701, and the cavity 702 and the lower electrode 701 are covered between the upper electrode 705 and the cavity 702. An insulating film 708 is formed.
- the protrusion 704 protruding from the lower surface of the insulating film 708 to the cavity portion 702 is disposed.
- the protrusion 704 is made of an insulating film.
- the protrusions 704 and the insulating films 707, 708, and 709 described above are formed of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like.
- a rectangular parallelepiped high Young's modulus member 703 is embedded in the membrane 710. In FIG. 15, the high Young's modulus member 703 is embedded in the insulating film 707, but may be embedded in the insulating film 708, or may be embedded in both the insulating film 707 and the insulating film 708.
- the high Young's modulus member 703 is made of a material having a higher Young's modulus than the surrounding insulating film 707 and the insulating film 708, for example, a metal material such as tungsten, a ceramic material such as alumina, or an ion implantation.
- the film 708 is modified to improve the Young's modulus.
- the surface of the protrusion 704 that faces the insulating film 709 across the cavity is referred to as the protrusion lower surface 711, and the surface of the insulating film 709 that is exposed to the cavity is referred to as the cavity lower surface 713.
- the surface of the membrane 710 that is exposed to the cavity is referred to as a membrane lower surface 712.
- the protrusion lower surface 711 is in contact with the cavity lower surface 713, the voltage at that time is the protrusion contact voltage, the membrane lower surface 712 is in contact with the cavity lower surface 713, and the voltage at that time is the membrane contact voltage. I will call it.
- FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG.
- the protrusion 704 and the like are seen through the high Young's modulus member 703.
- the cavity 702 and the upper electrode 705 have a width in the vertical direction and a length in the horizontal direction
- the high Young's modulus member 703 has a length in the vertical direction and a width in the horizontal direction.
- At least one protrusion 704 is arranged at the center in the width direction of the cavity 702 when viewed from above.
- the high Young's modulus member 703 is disposed so that the center portion thereof coincides with each of the protrusions 704 when viewed from above.
- at least one of the upper electrode 705 and the lower electrode 701 is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the protrusion 704 when viewed from above. In FIG. 16, a part of the upper electrode 705 is penetrated, and the protrusion 704 and the upper electrode 705 are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed from above, but the electrode that penetrates may be the lower electrode 701. .
- the reason for this arrangement is that when a DC voltage or an AC voltage is applied between the electrodes and the protrusion lower surface 711 contacts the cavity lower surface 713, a strong electric field is applied to the protrusion 704 and the insulating film 709, and charge injection is performed. This is because the distance between the electrodes is increased by penetrating the electrodes so that the electric field strength is reduced.
- the high Young's modulus material 703 and the protrusions 704 are arranged at equal intervals in the cavity length direction, but may be unequal intervals. However, in the case of unequal intervals, a plurality of membrane contact voltages exist in one CMUT, which is not preferable in design.
- the interval between the high Young's modulus members 703 and the protrusions 704 is preferably determined from the magnitude relationship between the membrane contact voltage and the protrusion contact voltage. For example, when the membrane contact voltage is lower than the protrusion contact voltage, the distance between the high Young's modulus member 703 and the protrusion 704 is narrowed to improve the membrane contact voltage.
- the feature of the third embodiment is that at least one of the upper electrode 705 and the lower electrode 701 is disposed at a position where it does not overlap with the protrusion 704 protruding into the cavity 702 when viewed from above.
- the high Young's modulus member 703 and the protrusion 704 provided on the membrane 710 are arranged so as to partially overlap each other when viewed from above.
- the rigidity is locally increased by disposing a high Young's modulus member inside the membrane in a region overlapping the protrusion 704 when viewed from above.
- membrane contact in order to obtain a high transmission sound pressure, membrane contact can be prevented even when the membrane 710 is vibrated to the maximum under a driving condition in which the projecting lower surface 711 contacts the cavity lower surface 713.
- the membrane contact voltage may be partially lower than the design due to manufacturing variations.
- the above structure prevents the membrane contact and charges the insulating film 708 of the membrane 710. Injection can be reduced. For this reason, the operation reliability of CMUT can be improved.
- the CMUT surface can be made flat.
- the structure of the CMUT according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
- the CMUT includes a rectangular parallelepiped lower electrode 701 disposed on the substrate 706, a cavity 702 disposed on the lower electrode 701, a rectangular parallelepiped upper electrode 705 disposed on the cavity 702, and the like.
- an insulating film 709 is formed between the lower electrode 701 and the cavity 702 so as to cover the lower electrode 701, and the cavity 702 and the lower electrode 701 are covered between the upper electrode 705 and the cavity 702.
- An insulating film 708 is formed.
- In the cavity 702, at least one columnar protrusion 704 protruding from the upper surface of the insulating film 709 to the cavity 702 is disposed.
- the protrusion 704 is made of an insulating film.
- at least one rectangular parallelepiped high Young's modulus member 703 is embedded in the upper surface of the insulating film 707.
- the surface of the protrusion 704 that faces the insulating film 708 across the cavity is referred to as the protrusion upper surface 714
- the surface of the insulating film 709 that is exposed to the cavity is referred to as the cavity lower surface 713
- the surface of the membrane 710 that is exposed to the cavity is referred to as a membrane lower surface 712.
- the protrusion upper surface 714 is in contact with the membrane lower surface 712, the voltage at that time is the protrusion contact voltage, the membrane lower surface 712 is in contact with the cavity lower surface 713, and the voltage at that time is the membrane contact voltage. I will call it.
- the interval between the high Young's modulus members 703 and the protrusions 704 is preferably determined from the magnitude relationship between the membrane contact voltage and the protrusion contact voltage. For example, when the membrane contact voltage is lower than the protrusion contact voltage, the distance between the high Young's modulus member 703 and the protrusion 704 is narrowed to improve the membrane contact voltage.
- Example 3 The difference from Example 3 described above is that the protrusion 704 protrudes from the cavity lower surface 713 into the cavity 702.
- the membrane lower surface 712 comes into contact with the protrusion upper surface 714, a state similar to the protrusion contact state of the structure shown in FIG. 15 is obtained. Therefore, even in the structure in which the protrusion 704 protrudes from the cavity lower surface 713, the difference between the protrusion contact voltage and the membrane contact voltage can be increased by arranging the high Young's modulus member and the center of the protrusion to coincide with each other when viewed from above. Since the operation reliability of the CMUT can be improved, the same effect as that of the ultrasonic transducer of the third embodiment can be obtained.
- the ultrasonic transducer of the third embodiment it is effective if the high Young's modulus member and the protrusion partially overlap each other when viewed from above. With such a structure, there is a feature that it is easy to design the frequency characteristics of the CMUT because the protrusion is not on the membrane side of the CMUT vibration part.
- FIG. 18 is a top view showing the ultrasonic transducer of the fifth embodiment.
- This ultrasonic transducer includes a circular projection 804, a circular membrane 810, and a circular rigid member 803 or a high Young's modulus member 805 on the upper surface of the membrane 810.
- the rigid member 803 and the protrusion 804 are disposed between the center of the membrane 810 and the upper, lower, left and right membrane ends.
- the rigid member 803 and the protrusion 804 are arranged so that a part thereof overlaps when viewed from above.
- the circular protrusion 804 is an example, and may be other polygonal shapes such as a triangular shape, a pentagonal shape, and a heptagonal shape.
- the rigid member 803 or the high Young's modulus member 805 is also an example of a circular shape, and may be another polygonal shape such as a triangular shape, a pentagonal shape, or a heptagonal shape.
- the number and arrangement of the rigid members 803 and the protrusions 804 may be determined by the magnitude relationship between the protrusion contact voltage and the membrane contact voltage. For example, when the membrane contact voltage is lower than the protrusion contact voltage in the structure of FIG. 18, the number of rigid members 803 and protrusions 804 should be increased. In this case, the location where the membrane contacts with the membrane contact voltage is good.
- FIG. 19 is a top view showing the ultrasonic transducer of the sixth embodiment.
- This ultrasonic transducer includes a circular protrusion 904, an octagonal membrane 910, and a circular rigid member 903 or a high Young's modulus member 905 on the upper surface of the membrane 910.
- the rigid member 903 and the protrusion 904 are disposed at the center of the membrane 910 and the periphery thereof.
- the rigid member 903 and the protrusion 904 are arranged so that a part thereof overlaps when viewed from above.
- the octagonal membrane 910 is an example, and may be other polygonal shapes such as a triangular shape, a pentagonal shape, and a heptagonal shape.
- the circular protrusion 904 is an example, and may be other polygonal shapes such as a triangular shape, a pentagonal shape, and a heptagonal shape.
- the rigid member 903 or the high Young's modulus member 905 is also an example of a circular shape, and may be another polygonal shape such as a triangular shape, a pentagonal shape, or a heptagonal shape.
- the number and arrangement of the rigid members 903 and the protrusions 904 may be determined according to the magnitude relationship between the protrusion contact voltage and the membrane contact voltage. For example, when the membrane contact voltage is lower than the protrusion contact voltage in the structure of FIG. 19, the number of rigid members 903 and protrusions 904 should be increased. In this case, the location where the membrane contacts with the membrane contact voltage is good.
- the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1001 includes an ultrasonic probe 1002, a transmission / reception separation unit 1003, a transmission unit 1004, a bias unit 1006, a reception unit 1008, a phasing addition unit 1010, an image processing unit 1012, a display unit 1014, a control unit 1016, The operation unit 1018 is configured.
- the ultrasonic probe 1002 is a device that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the subject by contacting the subject. An ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 1002 to the subject, and a reflected echo signal from the subject is received by the ultrasonic probe 1002.
- the ultrasonic transducer according to any of the first to sixth embodiments is housed in the ultrasonic probe 1002 and is electrically connected to a transmission / reception separating unit 1003 described later.
- the transmission unit 1004 and the bias unit 1006 are devices that supply drive signals to the ultrasound probe 1002.
- the receiving unit 1008 is a device that receives a reflected echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe 1002.
- the receiving unit 1008 further performs processing such as analog-digital conversion on the received reflected echo signal.
- the transmission / reception separating unit 1003 switches between transmission and reception so as to pass a drive signal from the transmission unit 1004 to the ultrasonic probe 1002 at the time of transmission, and to pass a reception signal from the ultrasonic probe 1002 to the reception unit 1008 at the time of reception.
- the phasing addition unit 1010 is a device that performs phasing addition of the received reflected echo signals.
- the image processing unit 1010 is a device that configures a diagnostic image (for example, a tomographic image or a blood flow image) based on the reflected echo signal subjected to phasing addition.
- the display unit 1014 is a display device that displays a diagnostic image subjected to image processing.
- the control unit 1016 is a device that controls each component described above.
- the operation unit 1018 is a device that gives an instruction to the control unit 1016.
- the operation unit 1018 is configured by an input device such as a trackball, a keyboard, or a mouse, for example.
- the ultrasonic transducer of the present invention can be used for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic probe, a defect inspection apparatus inside the structure, an object position detection apparatus, a flow velocity measurement apparatus, and the like. Further, high transmission sound pressure and high reception sensitivity can be realized, and reliability in long-term driving can be improved.
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
- Surgery (AREA)
- Molecular Biology (AREA)
- Medical Informatics (AREA)
- Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
- Biophysics (AREA)
- Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
- Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
- Biomedical Technology (AREA)
- Gynecology & Obstetrics (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Transducers For Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
- Ultra Sonic Daignosis Equipment (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
Abstract
Description
例えば、特許文献1、特許文献2や特許文献3には、CMUTの動作信頼性向上について開示されている。また、特許文献4には、CMUTの中心周波数と帯域幅を制御する方法について開示されている。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記上部電極および前記空洞部を覆うように形成された上部絶縁膜を備えており、前記梁部材は前記上部絶縁膜上に配置されているものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記上部電極および前記空洞部を覆うように形成された上部絶縁膜を備えており、前記梁部材は前記上部絶縁膜の内部に埋め込まれているものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記上部電極および前記空洞部を覆うように形成された上部絶縁膜を備えており、前記高ヤング率の部材は前記上部絶縁膜の内部に埋め込まれているものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記高ヤング率の部材は、タングステンなどの金属材料やアルミナなどのセラミック材料を埋め込んで形成したものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記高ヤング率の部材は、イオンの打ち込みにより前記上部絶縁膜を改質して形成したものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、一つの前記剛性部材に対して複数の前記絶縁膜の突起が重なるように配置されているものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記絶縁膜の突起が前記空洞部の上面に配置されているものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記前記絶縁膜の突起が前記空洞部の下面に配置されているものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記複数の絶縁膜の突起と前記複数の剛性部材が上面から見て等間隔に配置されているものでよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記空洞部が上面から見て、円形状または多角形状でよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記絶縁物の突起が上面から見て、円形状または多角形状でよい。
また、本発明の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、前記剛性部材が上面から見て、円形状、十字型形状または多角形状でよい。
受信の場合は、上部電極104と下部電極101の間に直流電圧のみを印加しておき、メンブレン105の表面に到達した超音波の圧力により、メンブレン105が振動する。すると、上部電極104と下部電極101との間の距離が変化するため、容量の変化として超音波を検出できる。
なお、実施例1の超音波トランスデューサと同様に上面から見て剛性部材503と突起504の中心が一致している配置で最大の効果が得られるが、一部でも重なっていれば効果はある。このような構造にすると、突起がCMUT振動部のメンブレン側にないことで、CMUTの周波数特性の設計がしやすくなる特徴がある。なお、以上ではメンブレン表面に剛性部材が配置されている構造の説明をしたが、図14に示すように剛性部503がメンブレン510の内部に埋め込まれていても良く、実施例1で記載した同様にメンブレン510の形状制御がしやすくなるという特徴がある。
202、302、502、702 空洞部
207、208、209、309、507、508、509、707、708、709
絶縁膜
205、305、505、705 上部電極
210、310、510、710、810、910 メンブレン
213、313、513、713 空洞下面
203、303、503、803、903 剛性部材
204、304、504、704、804、904 突起
206、306、506、706 基板
211、311、711 突起下面
212、312、512、712 メンブレン下面
514、714 突起上面
703、805、905 高ヤング率部材
1001 超音波診断装置
1002 超音波探触子
1003 送受分離部
1004 送信部
1006 バイアス部
1008 受信部
1010 整相加算部
1012 画像処理部
1014 表示部
1016 制御部
1018 操作部。
Claims (17)
- 下部電極と、前記下部電極上に形成された、絶縁膜で囲まれた空洞部と、前記空洞部上に形成された上部電極と、前記空洞部内に形成された複数の絶縁膜の突起を備えた超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記空洞部上に形成された複数の剛性部材を備え、
前記下部電極と前記上部電極のうちの少なくとも一方の電極は、前記絶縁膜の突起と重なる部分を刳り貫くことにより、前記絶縁膜の突起と上面から見て重ならない位置に配置され、
前記剛性部材のそれぞれは前記絶縁膜の突起と上面から見て重なる領域が存在するように配置されていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記剛性部材は梁部材であり、
前記絶縁膜と前記上部電極と前記梁部材で構成されるメンブレンは、前記梁部材が配置されている部分の厚さが、梁部材が配置されてない部分と比べて梁部材の厚さ分厚いことを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項2記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記上部電極および前記空洞部を覆うように形成された上部絶縁膜を備えており、前記梁部材は前記上部絶縁膜上に配置されていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項2記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記上部電極および前記空洞部を覆うように形成された上部絶縁膜を備えており、前記梁部材は前記上部絶縁膜の内部に埋め込まれていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記剛性部材は、前記絶縁膜と前記上部電極と前記梁部材で構成されるメンブレンよりも高ヤング率の部材であることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項5記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記上部電極および前記空洞部を覆うように形成された上部絶縁膜を備えており、前記高ヤング率の部材は前記上部絶縁膜の内部に埋め込まれていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項6記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記高ヤング率の部材は、タングステンなどの金属材料やアルミナなどのセラミック材料を埋め込んで形成したことを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項6記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記高ヤング率の部材は、イオンの打ち込みにより前記上部絶縁膜を改質して形成したことを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記剛性部材の中心は前記絶縁膜の突起の中心と上面から見て一致するように配置されていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
一つの前記剛性部材に対して複数の前記絶縁膜の突起が重なるように配置されていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記絶縁膜の突起が前記空洞部の上面に配置されていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記前記絶縁膜の突起が前記空洞部の下面に配置されていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記複数の絶縁膜の突起と前記複数の剛性部材が上面から見て等間隔に配置されていることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記空洞部が上面から見て、円形状または多角形状であることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記絶縁物の突起が上面から見て、円形状または多角形状であることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1記載の超音波トランスデューサにおいて、
前記剛性部材が上面から見て、円形状、十字型形状または多角形状であることを特徴とする超音波トランスデューサ。 - 請求項1乃至請求項16の何れか一つに記載の超音波トランスデューサとバイアス部を備えていることを特徴とする超音波診断装置。
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/879,439 US9941817B2 (en) | 2010-10-15 | 2011-10-13 | Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic diagnostic equipment using the same |
JP2012538715A JP5486689B2 (ja) | 2010-10-15 | 2011-10-13 | 超音波トランスデューサおよびそれを用いた超音波診断装置 |
CN201180048454.0A CN103155597B (zh) | 2010-10-15 | 2011-10-13 | 超声波转换器以及使用其的超声波诊断装置 |
KR1020137009318A KR101492033B1 (ko) | 2010-10-15 | 2011-10-13 | 초음파 트랜스듀서 및 그것을 사용한 초음파 진단 장치 |
EP11832603.2A EP2629549B1 (en) | 2010-10-15 | 2011-10-13 | Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic diagnostic equipment using the same |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2010232618 | 2010-10-15 | ||
JP2010-232618 | 2010-10-15 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2012050172A1 true WO2012050172A1 (ja) | 2012-04-19 |
Family
ID=45938393
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2011/073582 WO2012050172A1 (ja) | 2010-10-15 | 2011-10-13 | 超音波トランスデューサおよびそれを用いた超音波診断装置 |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US9941817B2 (ja) |
EP (1) | EP2629549B1 (ja) |
JP (1) | JP5486689B2 (ja) |
KR (1) | KR101492033B1 (ja) |
CN (1) | CN103155597B (ja) |
WO (1) | WO2012050172A1 (ja) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2014000122A (ja) * | 2012-06-15 | 2014-01-09 | Seiko Epson Corp | 超音波プローブおよび超音波検査装置 |
WO2017081806A1 (ja) * | 2015-11-13 | 2017-05-18 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Mems素子およびその製造方法 |
JP2019075646A (ja) * | 2017-10-13 | 2019-05-16 | 株式会社日立製作所 | 超音波送受信装置および超音波トランスデュ−サ |
Families Citing this family (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102440005B (zh) * | 2009-05-25 | 2014-09-24 | 株式会社日立医疗器械 | 超声波换能器及利用该超声波换能器的超声波诊断装置 |
JP2015023994A (ja) * | 2013-07-26 | 2015-02-05 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | 超音波測定装置、超音波ヘッドユニット、超音波プローブ及び超音波画像装置 |
EP3097180B1 (en) * | 2014-01-21 | 2021-10-13 | Promedica Bioelectronics S.r.l. | Device for ultrasound tests |
KR20160021559A (ko) * | 2014-08-18 | 2016-02-26 | 삼성전자주식회사 | 나노필라 구조를 가진 정전용량 미세가공 초음파 변환기 및 그 제조방법 |
JP2016101417A (ja) | 2014-11-28 | 2016-06-02 | キヤノン株式会社 | 静電容量型音響波トランスデューサ及びこれを備えた被検体情報取得装置 |
JP6613628B2 (ja) * | 2015-05-28 | 2019-12-04 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | 圧電デバイスおよびプローブ並びに電子機器および超音波画像装置 |
CN107710787B (zh) * | 2015-05-29 | 2019-12-06 | 株式会社日立制作所 | 超声波换能器及超声波检查装置 |
JP6562322B2 (ja) * | 2015-10-27 | 2019-08-21 | 株式会社村田製作所 | 圧電デバイス、及び圧電デバイスの製造方法 |
US10006888B2 (en) * | 2016-04-21 | 2018-06-26 | The Boeing Company | MEMS transducers in a phased array coupled to a flexible substrate using carbon nanotubes for conformal ultrasound scanning |
JP6763731B2 (ja) * | 2016-09-28 | 2020-09-30 | 株式会社日立製作所 | 超音波トランスデューサ、その製造方法および超音波撮像装置 |
US9813831B1 (en) | 2016-11-29 | 2017-11-07 | Cirrus Logic, Inc. | Microelectromechanical systems microphone with electrostatic force feedback to measure sound pressure |
US9900707B1 (en) * | 2016-11-29 | 2018-02-20 | Cirrus Logic, Inc. | Biasing of electromechanical systems microphone with alternating-current voltage waveform |
CA3065214A1 (en) * | 2017-06-20 | 2018-12-27 | Butterfly Network, Inc. | Analog to digital signal conversion in ultrasound device |
CN107957273B (zh) * | 2018-01-16 | 2024-05-03 | 北京先通康桥医药科技有限公司 | 具有触压和超声功能的传感器 |
JP2019212992A (ja) | 2018-05-31 | 2019-12-12 | キヤノン株式会社 | 静電容量型トランスデューサ、及びその製造方法 |
KR102253210B1 (ko) * | 2020-08-06 | 2021-05-18 | 한국과학기술원 | 전하 포획층을 가지는 정전용량형 미세가공 초음파 트랜스듀서 및 이의 제조 방법 |
TWI800437B (zh) * | 2022-08-02 | 2023-04-21 | 友達光電股份有限公司 | 超音波換能裝置 |
Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2002191180A (ja) * | 2000-10-16 | 2002-07-05 | Xerox Corp | 静電駆動素子の劣化を防ぐ方法および装置 |
US20050228285A1 (en) | 2004-04-01 | 2005-10-13 | Yongli Huang | Capacitive ultrasonic transducers with isolation posts |
JP2006020313A (ja) * | 2004-06-30 | 2006-01-19 | General Electric Co <Ge> | 高感度容量性微細加工超音波トランスデューサ |
JP2006516368A (ja) * | 2002-08-08 | 2006-06-29 | ザ・ボード・オブ・トラスティーズ・オブ・ザ・レランド・スタンフォード・ジュニア・ユニバーシティ | マイクロ機械加工された超音波トランスデューサ及び製造方法 |
JP2007046180A (ja) | 2005-08-08 | 2007-02-22 | Kurita Water Ind Ltd | 製紙方法 |
JP2007074263A (ja) | 2005-09-06 | 2007-03-22 | Hitachi Ltd | 超音波トランスデューサおよびその製造方法 |
WO2007046180A1 (ja) * | 2005-10-18 | 2007-04-26 | Hitachi, Ltd. | 超音波トランスデューサ、超音波探触子および超音波撮像装置 |
JP2009100460A (ja) * | 2007-09-25 | 2009-05-07 | Canon Inc | 電気機械変換素子及びその製造方法 |
US20090322181A1 (en) | 2008-06-19 | 2009-12-31 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Ultrasonic transducer and method of manufacturing the same |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5774423A (en) * | 1995-12-15 | 1998-06-30 | Innovative Transducers Inc. | Acoustic sensor and array thereof |
JPH11169365A (ja) * | 1997-11-28 | 1999-06-29 | Hitachi Medical Corp | 超音波診断装置 |
US6974417B2 (en) * | 2001-10-05 | 2005-12-13 | Queen's University At Kingston | Ultrasound transducer array |
CN101238754A (zh) * | 2005-10-18 | 2008-08-06 | 株式会社日立制作所 | 超声波换能器、超声波探头以及超声波摄像装置 |
JP2008099036A (ja) | 2006-10-12 | 2008-04-24 | Olympus Medical Systems Corp | 超音波トランスデューサ、超音波探触子及び超音波診断装置 |
WO2009041675A1 (en) * | 2007-09-25 | 2009-04-02 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Electrostatic transducer and manufacturing method therefor |
WO2009073562A1 (en) * | 2007-12-03 | 2009-06-11 | Kolo Technologies, Inc. | Dual-mode operation micromachined ultrasonic transducer |
WO2009088845A1 (en) * | 2007-12-31 | 2009-07-16 | Brigham And Women's Hospital, Inc. | System and method for accelerated focused ultrasound imaging |
US8467559B2 (en) * | 2008-02-20 | 2013-06-18 | Shandong Gettop Acoustic Co., Ltd. | Silicon microphone without dedicated backplate |
EP2346269B1 (en) * | 2008-11-04 | 2019-02-13 | Olympus Corporation | Acoustic oscillator |
-
2011
- 2011-10-13 US US13/879,439 patent/US9941817B2/en active Active
- 2011-10-13 KR KR1020137009318A patent/KR101492033B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2011-10-13 EP EP11832603.2A patent/EP2629549B1/en active Active
- 2011-10-13 CN CN201180048454.0A patent/CN103155597B/zh active Active
- 2011-10-13 WO PCT/JP2011/073582 patent/WO2012050172A1/ja active Application Filing
- 2011-10-13 JP JP2012538715A patent/JP5486689B2/ja active Active
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2002191180A (ja) * | 2000-10-16 | 2002-07-05 | Xerox Corp | 静電駆動素子の劣化を防ぐ方法および装置 |
JP2006516368A (ja) * | 2002-08-08 | 2006-06-29 | ザ・ボード・オブ・トラスティーズ・オブ・ザ・レランド・スタンフォード・ジュニア・ユニバーシティ | マイクロ機械加工された超音波トランスデューサ及び製造方法 |
US20050228285A1 (en) | 2004-04-01 | 2005-10-13 | Yongli Huang | Capacitive ultrasonic transducers with isolation posts |
JP2006020313A (ja) * | 2004-06-30 | 2006-01-19 | General Electric Co <Ge> | 高感度容量性微細加工超音波トランスデューサ |
JP2007046180A (ja) | 2005-08-08 | 2007-02-22 | Kurita Water Ind Ltd | 製紙方法 |
JP2007074263A (ja) | 2005-09-06 | 2007-03-22 | Hitachi Ltd | 超音波トランスデューサおよびその製造方法 |
WO2007046180A1 (ja) * | 2005-10-18 | 2007-04-26 | Hitachi, Ltd. | 超音波トランスデューサ、超音波探触子および超音波撮像装置 |
JP2009100460A (ja) * | 2007-09-25 | 2009-05-07 | Canon Inc | 電気機械変換素子及びその製造方法 |
US20090322181A1 (en) | 2008-06-19 | 2009-12-31 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Ultrasonic transducer and method of manufacturing the same |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2014000122A (ja) * | 2012-06-15 | 2014-01-09 | Seiko Epson Corp | 超音波プローブおよび超音波検査装置 |
WO2017081806A1 (ja) * | 2015-11-13 | 2017-05-18 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Mems素子およびその製造方法 |
JP2019075646A (ja) * | 2017-10-13 | 2019-05-16 | 株式会社日立製作所 | 超音波送受信装置および超音波トランスデュ−サ |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2629549B1 (en) | 2019-01-23 |
CN103155597B (zh) | 2016-06-08 |
US20130241345A1 (en) | 2013-09-19 |
EP2629549A1 (en) | 2013-08-21 |
KR101492033B1 (ko) | 2015-02-10 |
EP2629549A4 (en) | 2017-05-17 |
CN103155597A (zh) | 2013-06-12 |
JPWO2012050172A1 (ja) | 2014-02-24 |
KR20130080040A (ko) | 2013-07-11 |
JP5486689B2 (ja) | 2014-05-07 |
US9941817B2 (en) | 2018-04-10 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
JP5486689B2 (ja) | 超音波トランスデューサおよびそれを用いた超音波診断装置 | |
US8687466B2 (en) | Cell, element of ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic transducer including the same, and method of manufacturing cell of ultrasonic transducer | |
US10128777B2 (en) | Pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell with annular-shaped collapsed region | |
US7667374B2 (en) | Ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic probe and method for fabricating the same | |
US9085012B2 (en) | Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with same | |
US8617078B2 (en) | Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic diagnostic device using same | |
US9925561B2 (en) | Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer with multiple deflectable membranes | |
KR101761819B1 (ko) | 초음파 변환기 및 그 제조 방법 | |
US8299685B2 (en) | High power ultrasonic transducer | |
JP2008283618A (ja) | 超音波送受信デバイス及びそれを用いた超音波探触子 | |
CN108886660B (zh) | 超声波换能器、超声波换能器的制造方法以及超声波拍摄装置 | |
JP6636516B2 (ja) | 超音波トランスデューサ素子、及び超音波撮像装置 | |
WO2018128072A1 (ja) | 超音波トランスデューサおよび超音波撮像装置 | |
US11376628B2 (en) | Capacitive device and piezoelectric device | |
JP2019165307A (ja) | 超音波センサ | |
JP2009071395A (ja) | 超音波受信素子及びこれを用いた超音波トランスデューサ |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 201180048454.0 Country of ref document: CN |
|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application |
Ref document number: 11832603 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 2012538715 Country of ref document: JP Kind code of ref document: A |
|
ENP | Entry into the national phase |
Ref document number: 20137009318 Country of ref document: KR Kind code of ref document: A |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: DE |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 2011832603 Country of ref document: EP |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 13879439 Country of ref document: US |