Esaote S.p.a.

Other

Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche

Alessandro Caronti

Massimo Pappalardo

Giosuè Caliano

Alessandro Stuart Savoia

Elena Cianci

Vittorio Foglietti

Riccardo Carotenuto

Antonio Minotti

Danilo Fiasca

Alessandro Nencioni

Philipp Gatta

Cristina Longo

The invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer comprising a plurality of micro-cells, arranged in an array having M rows and N columns, and driving electronic means apt to connect in parallel to each other said micro-cells so as to form at least two sub-groups of said micro-cells, the micro-cells of each sub-group being connected in parallel to each other, at least one column of said array comprising micro-cells belonging to at least two different adjacent sub-groups, so that a radiation emitted in a direction perpendicular to the array columns by said at least one column has a phase that is intermediate between the phases of said at least two different adjacent sub-groups.

Interdigitated geometry transducer for optimizing the irradiated acoustic beam

The invention relates to a microfabricated capacitive ultrasonic transducer () comprising at least one thin plate (), provided with a metallization (), suspended over a conductive substrate () through supporting elements integrally coupled to the conductive substrate (), the conductive substrate () forming one or more electrodes corresponding to said at least one thin plate (), characterized in that said supporting elements comprise an ordered arrangement of columns or 'pillars' () to which the thin plate () is integrally coupled, whereby the pillars () operate as substantially punctiform constraints. The invention further relates to a surface micro-mechanical process for fabricating such microfabricated capacitive ultrasonic transducers ().

Microfabricated capacitive ultrasonic transducer

The invention concerns a manufacturing process, and the related micromachined capacitive ultra-acoustic transducer, that uses commercial silicon waferalready covered on at least one or, more preferably, on both faces by an upper layerand by a lower layer' of silicon nitride deposited with low pressure chemical vapour deposition technique, or deposition LPCVD deposition. One of the two layersor&#x2032; of silicon nitride, of optimal quality, covering the waferis used as emitting membrane of the transducer. As a consequence, the micro-cell arrayforming the CMUT transducer is grown onto one of the two layers of silicon nitride, i.e. it is grown at the back of the transducer with a sequence of steps that is reversed with respect to the classical technology.

Surface micromechanical process for manufacturing micromachined capacitive ultra-acoustic transducers and relevant micromachined capacitive ultra-acoustic transducer

The invention relates to an electro-acoustic transducer, particularly an ultrasonic transducer, comprising a plurality of electrostatic micro-cells of the cMUT type. The electrostatic micro-cells are arranged in homogeneous groups of micro-cells having the same geometrical characteristics. The micro-cells of each group have geometries different from the geometry of the micro-cells of the other group or groups.

Microfabricated capacitive ultrasonic transducer for high frequency applications

The invention concerns a capacitive ultrasonic transducer, comprising an external layer operating as an external plate, provided with electrode means, capable to vibrate, and a stiff substrate, in turn provided with electrode means, wherein it further comprises n levels, with n&#x2267;2, interposed between the plate and the substrate, each level including a plurality of cavities, and m interface intermediate layers, capable to vibrate, among said n levels, with m=(n&#x2212;1), the cavities of each one of said n levels being further defined by support means connected between faced surfaces of layers adjacent to said cavities, each one of said m intermediate layers being provided with electrode means, whereby the cavities of each level are interposed between a pair of electrode means belonging to either two adjacent intermediate layers or to an intermediate layer and to one out of the substrate and the plate.

Multi-level capacitive ultrasonic transducer

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Rome, Italy

Alessandro Caronti