Method of making a two dimensional ultrasonic transducer array

Abstract

An improved two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array is provided by forming a plurality of elongated transducer strips each including a central body of piezoelectric material having mounted thereon a conducting inner matching layer and outer matching layer, a conducting inner backing layer and a nonconducting lossy outer backing layer, depositing a conducting film on the outer surface and one side surface of the outer matching layer and into electrical contact with the conducting backing layer of each strip and depositing a plurality of conducting films in space relation to one another on the back surface and one side surface of the lossy backing layer and into electrical contact with the conducting backing layer to provide an electric circuit to the front and back faces of the piezoelectric layer. The strips are then assembled in spaced parallel relation with insulating strips bonded therebetween, and grooves are cut transversely of the transducer strip through the matching layers, the piezoelectric layer, the inner backing layer and into but not through the lossy backing layer to thereby provide an array of individual transducers arranged in spaced parallel rows with conducting films extending from the face and back surfaces of each transducer to provide an independent electrical circuit to each transducer in the array.