Multi-discrete-phase fresnel acoustic lenses and their application to

Abstract

Acoustic radiators which are focused diffractively by multi-discrete-phase binary Fresnel lenses are provided for applications, such as acoustic ink printing. Standard semiconductor integrated circuit techniques are available for fabricating such lenses in compliance with design specifications having relatively tight tolerances, including specifications for integrated lens arrays demanding substantial precision in the relative spatial positioning of several lenses. The diffractive performance of these lenses simulate concave refractive lenses, even though the lenses preferably have generally flat geometries. To that end, the lenses advantageously are defined by patterning acoustically flat surfaces, such as an acoustically flat face of a substrate or, better yet, an acoustically flat face of a layer of etchable material which is grown or otherwise deposited on an acoustically flat surface of an etch resistant substrate.