Other

General Electric Company

Parallel Design, Inc.

Ge Parallel Designs, Inc.

Ge Parallel Design, Inc.

Sanjay Chandran

David A Chartrand

Ram Hatangadi

Dave Chartrand

Patrick Pesque

A transducer is tuned to a desired impedance by building piezoelectric assemblies of multiple layers, each layer acting as a parallel capacitor. Piezoelectric layers are preferably constructed by plating or otherwise placing a conducting perimeter around a piezoelectric substrate. Gaps are suitably formed in the conducting layer by dicing or otherwise to form distinct electrical conducting regions on each layer. Piezoelectric layers are then suitably placed such that positive and negative conducting regions on each layer contact positive and negative regions on other layers. Layers are suitably joined by epoxy or by any other joining technique.

Method of manufacturing a multi-piezoelectric layer ultrasonic transducer for medical imaging

Multidimensional array and fabrication thereof

A method and apparatus for apodization is exemplified in an ultrasound transducer used, for example, in medical applications. The method and apparatus of the present invention provides an ultrasonic transducer with frequency and amplitude apodization, thus improving signal quality and producing improved ultrasonic images. The manufacture of this apparatus is improved by the making of composite cuts into piezoelectric material according to a predetermined pattern which generally varies the concentration of piezoelectric material across the surface of the transducer. Concentration of piezoelectric material can be varied across the surface of the piezoelectric transducer by varying the spacing between the cuts in the piezoelectric material, or by varying the width of the cuts in the piezoelectric material, or a combination of both.

Frequency and amplitude apodization of transducers

Multi-piezoelectric layer ultrasonic transducer for medical imaging

Growing community of inventors

Tempe, AZ, United States of America

Sanjay Chandran