Ultrasound Transducer Wafer-Level Manufacturing via Conductive Trenches

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional ultrasound transducer manufacturing involves costly individual fabrication steps, making it inefficient to produce multiple transducer elements, whereas wafer-level manufacturing could significantly reduce costs by allowing for more batch processing.

Innovation Solution

The method involves creating conductive and non-conductive vias in a piezoelectric layer, cutting it into transducer units, and further dividing these units into individual transducer elements, enabling electrical isolation and connection necessary for ultrasound energy generation, while allowing for wafer-level production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional individual fabrication steps are used for each transducer element, then manufacturing precision and electrical isolation are achieved, but production cost increases and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidproduction efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The piezoelectric layer is divided into multiple transducer units, each containing multiple transducer elements with independent electrical contacts. This segmentation allows wafer-level processing of entire arrays while maintaining individual element isolation through conductive trenches, resolving the contradiction between batch manufacturing efficiency and individual element precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Conductive trenches and electrical contacts are fabricated in advance during wafer-level processing before the piezoelectric layer is divided into individual transducer units. This preliminary action enables subsequent individual element fabrication to proceed more efficiently, reducing overall production cost and time while maintaining manufacturing precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If wafer-level manufacturing is implemented, then productivity and cost-effectiveness improve, but manufacturing precision and electrical isolation become more difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoidelectrical isolation precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Conductive trenches are created locally at specific positions within the piezoelectric layer to provide electrical isolation between adjacent transducer elements. This local quality approach ensures that each element maintains precise electrical isolation while the overall wafer-level structure enables high-volume production, resolving the contradiction between batch processing efficiency and individual element precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of manufacture

If conductive trenches are fabricated at wafer-level, then manufacturing cost decreases, but process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidfabrication process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The conductive trench fabrication process serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical isolation between elements, creates contact holes for electrical connections, and defines element boundaries. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate processing steps, thereby reducing overall process complexity while maintaining cost-effectiveness and enabling precise electrical isolation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 approach reduces production costs by enabling wafer-level manufacturing of ultrasound transducers, improving efficiency and scalability in producing multiple transducer elements with necessary electrical connections.

Implementation Method 1

Transducer elements in an ultrasound transducer typically include a piezoelectric material that changes shape in response to the application of a voltage across the piezoelectric material. Changing the potential applied across the piezoelectric material is responsible for generating the ultrasound energy.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPiezoelectric effect: Piezoelectric Effect

Implementation Method 2

fabricating the plurality of conductive through vias comprises cutting a plurality of trenches in the piezoelectric layer and filling each of the plurality of trenches with a conductive material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrical conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Data Source

PatentUS11883846B2Method for manufacturing an ultrasound transducer and ultrasound probe

Publication Date: 2024.01.30 GE PRECISION HEALTHCARE LLC

AI summary

A method for making ultrasound transducers and ultrasound probes includes providing a piezoelectric layer having a first surface and a second surface, where the second surface is on an opposite side of the piezoelectric layer from the first surface. The method includes fabricating a plurality of conductive through vias extending from the first surface to the second surface of the piezoelectric layer, where fabricating the plurality of conductive through vias comprises cutting a plurality of trenches through the piezoelectric layer and filling each of the plurality of trenches with a conductive material. The method includes cutting the piezoelectric layer into a plurality of transducer units after fabricating the plurality of conductive through vias and cutting each of the transducer units into a plurality of transducer elements.