North American Philips Corporation

Avner A Shaulov

Walter K Zwicker

Myron H Frommer

N Vasanth Rao

Stanley J Lukasik

An improved piezoelectric transducer permitting linear scanning along two intersecting planes. The transducer is fabricated from a cross shaped piezoelectric plate covered on both faces with metallic electrodes. First and second linear arrays are formed by the partial dicing of the opposite faces of the electrodes and plate. The two segments of the orthogonal arrays are integrated in the crossed area. An aperture may be disposed in the central area so as to permit a surgical implement, such as a biopsy needle, to be inserted into the tissue under ultrasonic visualization. Scanning electronics are alternately connectable to each of the arrays by means of a multiple pole switch under the control of a clock.

Crossed linear arrays for ultrasonic medical imaging

An improved biplane phased array transducer for real time medical imaging in at least two sector planes having a composite piezoelectric plate with an array of transducer elements disposed on each major surface of said plate, the array on one side being at an angle to the array on the other side, said transducer elements being defined by dicing each major surface of said composite plate through the conductive electrode surface and into a portion of the composite piezoelectric material, and electrical connections provided whereby each array may be grounded alternately so that real time sector imaging in two planes is obtained.

Biplane phased array for ultrasonic medical imaging

A thin film capacitor is formed of a thin crystalline electrically insulative or semiconductive substrate. With the insulative substrate a thin conductive metal layer is deposited on the substrate and a thin film of a crystalline strontium barium niobate deposited on the thin conductive metal layer so that its 2.77.ANG. spaced atomic planes are oriented in a non-perpendicular manner to the substrate and an additional thin conductive layer is deposited on the surface of the strontium barium niobate film. When a semiconductive substrate is employed the strontium barium niobate film is deposited directly on the substrate. These capacitors exhibit a low temperature coefficient of capacitance and a high capacitance density.

Thin film capacitors and method of making the same

An infrared thermal detector includes an infrared thermal sensing element, a load resistor, and a voltage supply means. The infrared thermal sensing element is a pyroelectric material whose electrical conductivity changes with temperature. The circuit and device parameters are chosen such that the detector will have frequency response over a broad band from dc (0 Hertz) to a high frequency determined by the electronic time constant of the circuit. The detector thus has all the advantages of either a pyroelectric detector without a chopper, or a thermistor bolometer having a fast response time.

Broad band pyroelectric infrared detector

A pyroelectric target made of a pyroelectric material which is anisotropic dielectrically. Electrodes are provided on two plane parallel faces. To raise the pyroelectric figure of merit, the angle between the pyroelectric axis and the normal to the planar faces is greater than substantially 0.degree. but less than 90.degree.. A method of manufacturing such a target includes the step of selecting such an angle and cutting the faces into the material at the selected angle. A pyroelectric vidicon tube incorporating such a pyroelectric target has improved performance. Preferably, the projection of the normal to the planar faces onto a plane perpendicular to the pyroelectric axis is parallel to the axis along which the dielectric constant is lowest.

Growing community of inventors

Monsey, NY, United States of America

Avner A Shaulov