Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Nxp B.v.

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Ruediger Mauczok

Marcel Mulder

Bout Marcelis

Peter Dirksen

Ronald Dekker

Mareike K Klee

Johan Hendrik Klootwijk

Koray Karakaya

Willem Franke Pasveer

Olaf Wunnicke

Nico Maris Adriaan De Wild

Biju Kumar Sreedharan Nair

Henri Marie Joseph Boots

Vadim Yevgenyevich Banine

Sander Frederik Wuister

Johan Frederik Dijksman

Andre Bernardus Jeunink

Martinus Bernardus Van Der Mark

Roelof Koole

Klaus Reimann

Ulrich Schiebel

Derk Reefman

Rainer Kiewitt

Engel Johannes Knibbe

Roger Peter Anna Delnoij

Christianus Martinus Van Heesch

Jacobus Bernardus Giesbers

Hans-Wolfgang Brand

Christina Adriana Renders

Theodoor Gertrudis Silvester Maria Rijks

Pieter Lok

Remco Alphonsus Hendrikus Breen

Hoa Pham

Dirk Van De Lagemaat

Emiel Andreas Godefridus Peeters

Marcelis Bout

Harry Van Esch

Marco De Wild

Chris Van Heesch

An ultrasound system comprises a probe including an array of CMUT (capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer) cells. Each cell comprises a substrate carrying a first electrode. The substrate is spatially separated from a flexible membrane including a second electrode. The flexible membrane comprises a mass element in a central region. The system also comprises a voltage supply adapted to, in a transmission mode provide, the respective electrodes with a bias voltage driving the CMUT cells into a collapsed state and a stimulus voltage having a set frequency for resonating the flexible membrane of the CMUT cells in said collapsed state The mass element of the CMUT cells forces the central region of the flexible membrane to remain in the collapsed state during said resonating. A pulse transmission method for such a system is also disclosed.

Ultrasound system and ultrasonic pulse transmission method

The present invention relates to an ultrasound transducer device comprising at least one cMUT cell () for transmitting and/or receiving ultrasound waves, the cMUT cell () comprising a cell membrane () and a cavity () underneath the cell membrane. The device further comprises a substrate () having a first side () and a second side (), the at least one cMUT cell () arranged on the first side () of the substrate (). The substrate () comprises a substrate base layer () and a plurality of adjacent trenches () extending into the substrate () in a direction orthogonal to the substrate sides (), wherein spacers () are each formed between adjacent trenches (). The substrate () further comprises a connecting cavity () which connects the trenches () and which extends in a direction parallel to the substrate sides (), the trenches () and the connecting cavity () together forming a substrate cavity () in the substrate (). The substrate () further comprises a substrate membrane () covering the substrate cavity (). The substrate cavity () is located in a region of the substrate () underneath the cMUT cell (). The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such ultrasound transducer device.

Ultrasound transducer device and method of manufacturing the same

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a capacitive micro-machined transducer (), in particular a CMUT, the method comprising depositing a first electrode layer () on a substrate (), depositing a first dielectric film () on the first electrode layer (), depositing a sacrificial layer () on the first dielectric film (), the sacrificial layer () being removable for forming a cavity () of the transducer, depositing a second dielectric film () on the sacrificial layer (), and depositing a second electrode layer () on the second dielectric film (), wherein the first dielectric film () and/or the second dielectric film () comprises a first layer comprising an oxide, a second layer comprising a high-k material, and a third layer comprising an oxide, and wherein the depositing steps are performed by Atomic Layer Deposition. The present invention further relates to a capacitive micro-machined transducer (), in particular a CMUT, manufactured by such method.

Capacitive micro-machined transducer and method of manufacturing the same

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a device () comprising a plurality of micro-machined ultrasonic transducer cells () in a first region () on a substrate () and a plurality of interconnects () in a second region () on said substrate, each of said cells comprising a first electrode () separated by a cavity () from a second electrode () supported by a membrane (), the method comprising forming a dielectric layer stack () over the substrate, said dielectric layer stack defining the respective membranes of the micro-machined ultrasonic transducers in the first region; reducing the thickness of the dielectric layer stack in the second region by partially etching away the dielectric layer stack in the second region; etching a plurality of trenches () in the reduced thickness portion of the dielectric layer stack, each of said trenches exposing a conductive contact () in the second region; and filling said trenches with a conductive material. A device manufactured in accordance with this method and an apparatus including the device are also disclosed.

CMUT device and manufacturing method

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a capacitive micro- machined transducer (), in particular a CMUT, the method comprising depositing a first electrode layer () on a substrate (), depositing a first dielectric film () on the first electrode layer (), depositing a sacrificial layer () on the first dielectric film (), the sacrificial layer () being removable for forming a cavity () of the transducer, depositing a second dielectric film () on the sacrificial layer (), depositing a second electrode layer () on the second dielectric film (), and patterning at least one of the deposited layers and films (), wherein the depositing steps are performed by Atomic Layer Deposition. The present invention further relates to a capacitive micro-machined transducer (), in particular a CMUT, manufactured by such method.

The present invention relates to an ultrasound transducer device comprising at least one cMUT cell () for transmitting and/or receiving ultrasound waves, the cMUT cell () comprising a cell membrane () and a cavity () underneath the cell membrane. The device further comprises a substrate () having a first side () and a second side (), the at least one cMUT cell () arranged on the first side () of the substrate (). The substrate () comprises a substrate base layer () and a plurality of adjacent trenches () extending into the substrate () in a direction orthogonal to the substratesides (), wherein spacers () are each formed between adjacent trenches (). The substrate () further comprises a connecting cavity () which connects the trenches () and which extends in a direction parallel to the substrate sides (), the trenches () and the connecting cavity () together forming a substrate cavity () in the substrate (). The substrate () further comprises a substrate membrane () covering the substrate cavity (). The substrate cavity () is located in a region of the substrate () underneath the cMUT cell (). The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such ultrasound transducer device.

The present invention relates to a transducer () comprising&#x2014;a membrane () configured to change shape in response to a force, the membrane () having a first major surface () and a second major surface (), &#x2014;a piezoelectric layer () formed over the first major surface () of the membrane (), the piezoelectric layer () having an active portion, &#x2014;first and second electrodes () in contact with the piezoelectric layer (), wherein an electric field between the first and second electrodes () determines the mechanical movement of the piezoelectric layer (), &#x2014;support structures () at the second major surface () of the membrane () on adjacent sides of the active portion of the piezoelectric layer (), at least part of the support structures () forming walls perpendicular, or at least not parallel, to the second major surface () of the membrane (), so as to form a trench () of any shape underlying the active portion, so that an ultrasound transducer is obtained with a high output pressure at the support side than at the opposite side. The invention also relates to a method of forming such a transducer, and an array comprising at least one transducer of the like.

Thin film ultrasound transducer

An imprint lithography method is disclosed for reducing a difference between an intended topography and an actual topography arising from a part of a patterned layer of fixed imprintable medium. The method involves imprinting an imprint lithography template into a layer of flowable imprintable medium to form a patterned layer in the imprintable medium, and fixing the imprintable medium to form a patterned layer of fixed imprintable medium. Local excitation is applied to the part of the patterned layer to adjust a chemical reaction in the part of the patterned layer to reduce the difference between the intended topography and the actual topography arising from the part of the fixed patterned layer of imprintable medium when this is subsequently used as a resist for patterning the substrate. An imprint medium suitable for imprint lithography with the method is also disclosed.

Imprint lithography method and imprintable medium

The present invention relates to a through-wafer via device () comprising a wafer () made of a wafer material and having a first wafer surface () and a second wafer surface () opposing the first wafer surface (). The through-wafer via device () further comprises a plurality of side by side first trenches () provided with a conductive material and extending from the first wafer surface () into the wafer () such that a plurality of spacers () of the wafer material are formed between the first trenches (). The through-wafer via device () further comprises a second trench () provided with the conductive material and extending from the second wafer surface () into the wafer (), the second trench () being connected to the first trenches (). The through-wafer via device () further comprises a conductive layer () made of the conductive material and formed on the side of the first wafer surface (), the conductive material filling the first trenches () such that the first conductive layer () has a substantially planar and closed surface.

Through-wafer via device and method of manufacturing the same

A transducer () is provided where a membrane () is formed over a front substrate (); and a piezoelectric layer () is formed over the membrane () at an active portion () and peripheral portions located adjacent the active portion (). A patterned conductive layer including first and second electrodes () is formed over the piezoelectric layer (). Further, a back substrate structure is provided having supports () located at the peripheral portions adjacent the active portion (). The height () of the supports () is greater than a combined height () of the patterned piezoelectric layer and the patterned conductive layer. Many transducers may be connected to form an array, where a controller may be provided for controlling the array, such as steering a beam of the array, and processing signals received by the array, for presence or motion detection and/or imaging, for example.

Thin film detector for presence detection

The integrated capacitor structure comprises a first branch with a first capacitor () and a second branch with a second capacitor (). The second capacitor () has a higher capacitance density and a lower breakdown voltage than the first capacitor (). The first branch has a shorter RC time constant than the second branch, such that a voltage peak will substantially follow the first branch. This first capacitor () has a sufficient capacity to store the charge of the voltage peak. In one embodiment, the second capacitor () is a stacked capacitor. The structure is suitable for ESD-protection and may, to this end, additionally comprise diodes () and resistors ().

ESD protected integrated capacitor with large capacity

The microelectromechanical system (MEMS) element () comprises a first electrode () that is present on a surface of substrate () and a movable element (). This overlies at least partially the first electrode () and comprises a piezoelectric actuator, which movable element () is movable towards and from the substrate () by application of an actuation voltage between a first and a second position, in which first position it is separated from the substrate () by a gap. Herein the piezoelectric actuator comprises a piezoelectric layer () that is on opposite surfaces provided with a second and a third electrode () respectively, said second electrode () facing the substrate () and said third electrode () forming an input electrode of the MEMS element (), so that a current path through the MEMS element () comprises the piezoelectric layer () and the tunable gap.

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Erkelenz, Germany

Ruediger Mauczok