Acoustic Transducer Electrode Layout for Heat-Free Lead Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing piezoelectric transducers face issues with soldering deficiencies, fine spacing of elements leading to shorts, and adverse effects from high temperatures and pressures, particularly in hostile environments, causing cracking and signal anomalies.
Innovation Solution
A method of manufacturing acoustic transducers involving depositing metal layers on piezoelectric composites, forming a common electrode, and creating individual electrodes with extending leads using photolithography, ensuring connections are made away from the piezoelectric area to withstand high temperatures and pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soldering is used to connect leads to electrodes, then electrical connections are established, but the heat exceeds the Curie temperature affecting the piezoelectric effect and causes cracking in hostile environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful soldering process from the transducer manufacturing. Instead of soldering leads directly to electrodes on the piezoelectric composite, the invention uses metal layers deposited directly onto the piezoelectric material to form electrodes, eliminating the need for soldering and the associated thermal damage to the piezoelectric effect
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical soldering process with a deposition process. Metal layers are deposited onto the piezoelectric composite to form electrodes and leads, substituting the thermal-mechanical soldering operation with a deposition-based electrical connection method that avoids exceeding the Curie temperature
2Measurement precision
If fine spacing of elements is used to achieve high resolution, then inspection resolution is improved, but the chances of shorts between neighboring elements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrode and lead functions into a single continuous metal layer structure. The metal layers extend beyond the piezoelectric composite to form both the electrodes on the element faces and the leads for electrical connection, creating a unified structure that reduces the risk of shorts while maintaining fine element spacing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the metal layers in the lateral dimension beyond the piezoelectric composite boundaries. This dimensional extension allows the leads to be formed as part of the same metal deposition process, increasing the spacing between electrical connections and reducing short risks while maintaining high-resolution element spacing
3Reliability
If solder and lead-covering are applied to the piezoelectric composite, then electrical connections are made, but anomalies in transmitter or received signals are created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the solder and lead-covering materials from the transducer structure. By forming electrodes and leads directly from metal layers deposited onto the piezoelectric composite, the invention eliminates the solder and lead-covering interfaces that generate signal anomalies, resulting in cleaner transmitter and received signals
4Reliability
If photolithography and multiple metal layers are used to create extending leads, then connections are made away from the piezoelectric area improving durability, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple manufacturing operations into a single photolithography and deposition process. The metal layers are deposited in sequence to form both the electrodes and the extending leads in one integrated process, rather than requiring separate soldering or attachment operations, thus managing complexity while achieving improved durability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method produces robust transducers with consistent signal transmission, reducing the risk of shorts and signal anomalies, and enhances durability in extreme conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Piezoelectric transducers are often used in non-destructive testing (NDT) and inspection of objects and structures by sonifying said object or structure with acoustic waves transmitted by the transducer
Implementation Method 2
The received reflections are converted to electrical signal by the transducer
Data Source
AI summary
An acoustic transducer array and method of making same. A first metal layer is deposited on a first side of a piezoelectric composite to form a common electrode and a second metal layer is provided over the obverse side. Portions of the second metal layer are removed to create a plurality of individual electrodes. A third metal layer may be deposited onto the plurality of individual electrodes, the third metal layer being thicker than the second metal layer. The individual electrodes extend beyond the piezoelectric composite in the elevation direction to create electrode leads. Metal layers may be provided by lithography, a wireframe or a foil sheet.