Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Technische Universiteit Delft

Marcus Cornelis Louwerse

Ronald Dekker

Johannes Wilhelmus Weekamp

Peter Dirksen

Wojtek Sudol

Franciscus Johannes Gerardus Hakkens

Arjen Van Der Horst

Vincent Adrianus Henneken

Marcel Mulder

Johannes Wilhelmus Weekemp

Alfons Wouter Groenland

Egbertus Reinier Jacobs

Aslihan Arslan Carisey

Maria Filomena Raganato

Marc Godfriedus Marie Notten

Adrianus Vincent Henneken

Antonia Cornelia Jeannet Van Rens

Devices, systems, and methods relating to intraluminal imaging are disclosed. In an embodiment, an intraluminal imaging device is disclosed. One embodiment of the intraluminal imaging device comprises a flexible elongate member configured to be inserted into a body lumen of a patient, the flexible elongate member comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion. The intraluminal imaging device further comprises an ultrasound imaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member. The imaging assembly comprises a support member, a flexible substrate positioned around the support member, a plurality of ultrasound transducer elements integrated in the flexible substrate, and a plurality of control circuits disposed on the flexible substrate at a position proximal to the plurality of transducer elements. The plurality of control circuits has an outer profile that does not extend beyond an outer profile of the plurality of transducer elements.

Intraluminal ultrasound scanner with reduced diameter

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer assembly comprising an ultrasonic transducer chip having a main surface comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducer elements and a plurality of first contacts for connecting to said ultrasound transducer elements, a contact chip having a further main surface comprising a plurality of second contacts, a backing member comprising ultrasound absorbing and/or scattering bodies, said backing member comprising a first surface on which the transducer chip is mounted and a second surface on which the contact chip is mounted. A flexible interconnect extends over said backing member from the main surface to the further main surface, the flexible interconnect comprising a plurality of conductive tracks, each conductive track connecting one of said first contacts to a second contact. An ultrasound probe including such an assembly, an ultrasonic imaging system including such an ultrasound probes and manufacturing methods of such an assembly and probe are also disclosed.

Ultrasonic transducer chip assembly, ultrasound probe, ultrasonic imaging system and ultrasound assembly and probe manufacturing methods

An intraluminal ultrasound imaging device includes a flexible elongate member configured to be positioned within a body lumen of a patient. The flexible elongate member includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The device also includes an ultrasound imaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member. The ultrasound imaging assembly is configured to obtain imaging data of the body lumen. The ultrasound imaging assembly includes a transducer array including a substrate, a silicon oxide layer disposed over the substrate, and a plurality of rows of micromachined ultrasound transducer elements disposed on the silicon oxide layer. Two of the plurality of rows of micromachined ultrasound transducer elements are spaced apart by a trench formed by etching through a screen formed in the silicon oxide layer. Associated devices, systems, and methods are also provided.

Intraluminal ultrasound imaging device comprising a substrate separated into a plurality of spaced-apart segments, intraluminal ultrasound imaging device comprising a trench, and method of manufacturing

An intraluminal ultrasound imaging device includes a flexible elongate member configured to be inserted into a body lumen of a patient, the flexible elongate member comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion. The device includes an ultrasound scanner assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member. The ultrasound scanner assembly includes a flexible substrate comprising a longitudinal width extending from an inner edge to an outer edge; a control region embedded in the flexible substrate; a transducer region embedded in the flexible substrate; and a window region disposed between the outer edge of the flexible substrate and the transducer region, and wherein the window region, the transducer region, and the control region are radially arranged relative to one another. Associated devices, systems, and methods are also described.

Rolled flexible substrate with integrated window for intraluminal ultrasound

An intraluminal ultrasound imaging device includes a flexible elongate member configured to be inserted into a body lumen of a patient, the flexible elongate member comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion. The device also includes an ultrasound scanner assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member. The ultrasound scanner assembly includes a flexible substrate; a transducer region positioned on the flexible substrate; and a control region positioned on the flexible substrate, wherein the transducer region and the control region are radially arranged relative to one another. Associated devices, systems, and methods are also described.

Rolled flexible substrate for intraluminal ultrasound imaging device

A large aperture CMUT transducer array is formed of a plurality of adjacently located tiles of CMUT cells. The adjacent edges of the tiles are formed by an anisotropic etch process, preferably a deep reactive ion etching process which is capable of cutting through the die and its substrate while maintaining vertical edges in close proximity to the CMUT cells at the edge of the tile. This enables the CMUT cells of continuous rows or columns to exhibit a constant pitch over multiple CMUT cell tiles. The tiles also contain interconnect electrodes along an edge for making electrical connections to the tiles with flex circuit.

Tiled CMUT dies with pitch uniformity

The present invention relates to an ultrasound transducer assembly, in particular for intravascular ultrasound systems. The ultrasound transducer assembly comprises at least one silicon substrate element including an ultrasound transducer element for emitting and receiving ultrasound waves and including electrical connectors for electrically connecting the transducer element. The substrate element has a top surface, a bottom surface and a side surface connecting the top surface and the bottom surface. An isolation layer forms the side surface for electrically isolating the substrate element.

Ultrasound transducer assembly and method for manufacturing an ultrasound transducer assembly

An ultrasound transducer arrangement () is disclosed comprising a plurality of substrate islands () spatially separated and electrically interconnected by a flexible polymer assembly () including electrically conductive tracks providing said electrical interconnections, said plurality including a first substrate island () comprising a plurality of ultra sound transducer cells () and a second substrate island () comprising an array of external contacts for connecting the ultrasound sensor arrangement to a flexible tubular body including a coaxial wire assembly () comprising a plurality of coaxial wires () each having a conductive core () covered by an electrically insulating sleeve (); and an electrically insulating body () having a first main surface (), a second main surface () and a plurality of through holes () each extending from the first main surface to the second main surface and coated with an electrically conductive member, wherein each coaxial wire comprises an exposed terminal core portion mounted in one of said though holes from the first main surface, and wherein each through hole is sealed by a solder bump () on the second main surface such that the ultrasound transducer arrangement can be directly mounted on the flexible tubular body without the need for a PCB.

Ultrasound transducer arrangement and assembly, coaxial wire assembly, ultrasound probe and ultrasonic imaging system

Disclosed is an ultrasonic transducer assembly comprising an ultrasonic transducer chip () having a main surface comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducer elements () and a plurality of first contacts () for connecting to said ultrasound transducer elements; a contact chip () having a further main surface comprising a plurality of second contacts (); an backing member () comprising ultrasound absorbing and/or scattering bodies (), said backing member comprising a first surface () on which the transducer chip is mounted and a second surface () on which the contact chip is mounted; and a flexible interconnect () extending over said backing member from the main surface to the further main surface, the flexible interconnect comprising a plurality of conductive tracks (), each conductive track connecting one of said first contacts to a second contact. An ultrasound probe including such an assembly, an ultrasonic imaging system including such an ultrasound probes and manufacturing methods of such an assembly and probe are also disclosed.

A CMUT transducer array comprising a first column () of spaced CMUT cells on at least one silicon island, a second column () of spaced CMUT cells on at least one further silicon island, the second column being staggered in alignment with the first column such that cells of the second column are partially located in spaces between successive cells of the first column, the first column and the second column being spaced apart by a gap, and a flexible foil retaining the respective silicon islands, the flexible foil comprising conductive interconnects.

Catheter transducer with staggered columns of micromachined ultrasonic transducers

The present invention relates to an ultrasound transducer assembly (), in particular for intravascular ultrasound systems. The ultrasound transducer assembly comprises at least one silicon substrate element () including an ultrasound transducer element () for emitting and receiving ultrasound waves and including electrical connectors for electrically connecting the transducer element. The substrate element has a top surface (), a bottom surface () and a side surface connecting the top surface and the bottom surface. An isolation layer () forms the side surface for electrically isolating the substrate element.

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Nijmegen, Netherlands

Marcus Cornelis Louwerse