Electroless Plating for Ultrasound Transducer Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for coating ceramic tubes in ultrasound transducers are inefficient, leading to inconsistent electrode deposition that affects the acoustic energy profile and manufacturing time.
Innovation Solution
A method involving cleaning, etching, catalyzing, and electroless plating processes to deposit copper, nickel, and gold layers on ceramic surfaces, with inspection and potential re-plating steps to ensure uniformity and quality, is used to create reliable electrodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If existing coating methods are used on ceramic tubes, then the coating process is simpler and faster, but the electrode deposition is inconsistent affecting acoustic energy profile
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary actions by etching the ceramic surface before plating to create a roughened surface that improves metal adhesion, and by applying a copper undercoat before the final electrode material. These preliminary steps ensure consistent deposition of subsequent layers by creating an optimized substrate surface chemistry and topology.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copper as an intermediary layer between the ceramic substrate and the final electrode material (silver or gold). This intermediate copper layer serves as a bonding bridge that improves adhesion between the ceramic and the noble metal, while also providing a uniform base for consistent electrode deposition.
2Productivity
If existing coating methods are used, then fewer process steps are required, but manufacturing time increases due to rework
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates inspection steps after copper plating and after final electrode plating to verify coating quality, thickness, and adhesion. This feedback mechanism allows for early detection of defects and enables targeted rework only when necessary, preventing waste of time on fundamentally flawed parts while ensuring high-quality output.
Solution Approach 2:
By performing copper plating and inspection as preliminary steps before final electrode deposition, the patent establishes a reliable foundation early in the process. This allows potential issues to be caught before committing to the more time-consuming final plating steps, improving overall manufacturing efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If thick electrode layers are deposited to ensure coverage, then coating uniformity improves, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the electrode deposition into multiple thin layers: a copper undercoat layer followed by the final electrode material layer. Each layer is deposited to an optimized thickness and inspected separately. This segmentation allows each layer to be uniformly thin and consistent, achieving overall uniformity without requiring excessively thick single-layer deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The copper undercoat is deposited as a preliminary thin layer that creates a uniform base surface. This preliminary uniform surface allows the final electrode layer to be deposited more uniformly at a thinner overall thickness than would be required without the undercoat, reducing total plating time while maintaining uniformity.
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
This method ensures consistent electrode deposition, reducing manufacturing time and improving the acoustic energy profile by allowing for precise control over the thickness and uniformity of copper, nickel, and gold layers on ceramic ultrasound transducer surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
cleaning a base member with a cleaning agent, wherein the base member comprises a ceramic material
Implementation Method 2
at least partially etching a surface of the base member using a first etching agent (e.g., an acid)
Implementation Method 3
catalyzing the surface of the base member using a first catalyst (e.g., a solution comprising palladium)
Implementation Method 4
plating copper on the surface of the base member using an electroless plating process
Implementation Method 5
catalyzing the copper-plated surface using a second catalyst (e.g., a solution comprising palladium)
Implementation Method 6
plating nickel on the copper-plated surface using an electroless plating process
Implementation Method 7
depositing at least one layer of gold on the nickel-plated surface
Data Source
AI summary
According to some embodiments, a method of depositing at least one electrode on a base member of an ultrasound transducer comprises at least partially etching a surface of the base member using a first etching agent, catalyzing the surface of the base member using a first catalyst, plating copper on the surface of the base member using an electroless plating process, inspecting the copper plated on the surface of the base member, at least partially etching a surface of the copper-plated surface using a second etching agent, catalyzing the copper-plated surface using a second catalyst, plating nickel on the copper-plated surface using an electroless plating process and depositing at least one layer of gold on the nickel-plated surface.