Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.

Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Ron Ho

Grazyna Palczewska

Sevig Ayter

Gregg W Frey

Xiaocong Guo

Todor Sheljaskow

Grazyna M Palczewska

Stephen C Englund

Thomas G Houck

Inessa Persatieva

A multi-dimensional transducer array has pitch along one dimension less than the pitch along a second dimension. The multi-dimensional transducer array with the same or different pitch is manufactured from a plurality of modules. Each of the modules are separately diced and then aligned and combined. Elements of a transducer array are used for isolating a transmit channel from a receive channel. Separate signal lines or traces are provided individually for each element on opposite sides of each element. A transmit channel may connect to one electrode on an element, and the receive channel may connect to an opposite electrode on the element. A multi-dimensional array is provided for time division multiplex processing. A probe houses the multi-dimensional array and a multiplexer.

Multi-dimensional transducer arrays and method of manufacture

A method of providing connections to an arrangement of multilayer transducer elements of an ultrasonic transducer array includes patterning an electrically conductive layer on a substrate to define a number of traces and a wide-area continuous region. At least a portion of the substrate is then removed to expose both of the upper and lower surfaces of the wide-area conductive region. The exposed upper and lower surfaces are captured between first and second piezoelectric layers such that the conductive layer electrically contacts both of the piezoelectric layers. The captured wide-area continuous region and at least one of the piezoelectric layers are diced to define the array of transducer elements. The traces that are formed during the patterning step are arranged such that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the traces and the electrodes that are defined by segmenting the wide-area continuous region during the dicing step.

Interconnection method for a multilayer transducer array

An ultrasonic transducer array has a piezoelectric ceramic layer that is separated in a longitudinal direction into n transducer groups. Each group is separated in a transverse direction into m elements. A double-sided flex circuit has a flexible, non-conductive base layer, through which conductive vias extend and are in electrical contact with a respective element. A conductive layer on a bottom side of the flex circuit is divided into a plurality of electrodes, each of which is in electrical contact with a respective one of the elements. For each group, electrically conductive traces connect predetermined ones of the flex circuit electrodes with external driving circuitry, and are located on a top side of the flex circuit. Transducer groups with different numbers of elements are provided, some with 1.5-D operation (with element pairs stimulated via a common trace) and some with 2-D operation (with separate traces for each element). For embodiments with more than three elements per group, the flex circuit includes more than one base layer. The invention also makes it possible at most two traces located on the top side of the flex circuit for each group, measured in the longitudinal direction. In one implementation, each array group was no wider than 300 .mu.m, each trace was at least 50 .mu.m, and the separation between each via and the nearest trace which is not connected to it was at least 75 .mu.m.

Multi-dimensional ultrasonic array interconnect

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Mercer Island, WA, United States of America

Ron Ho