Phased array transducers and wafer scale manufacturing for making the same

US11806191B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Douglas Glenn Wildes · Ballston Lake, US
• Lowell Scott Smith · Niskayuna, US
• Kwok Pong Chan · Troy, US
• Vadim Bromberg · Niskayuna, US
• David Martin Mills · Niskayuna, US
• Warren Lee · Niskayuna, US
• Timothy James Fiorillo · Schenectady, US
• Chi Tat Chiu · Niskayuna, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 21, 2018
• Grant date: Nov 7, 2023
• Expiry date: Sep 18, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T29/42
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A grid of phased array transducers includes a piezoelectric layer and a plurality of ground contact traces. The piezoelectric layer includes a first side and a second side. The plurality of ground contact traces is disposed on the first side of the piezoelectric layer along an elevational direction, where each ground contact trace of the plurality of ground contact traces extends along an azimuthal direction. Further, each phased array transducer of the grid of phased array transducers is disposed between an adjacently disposed pair of ground contact traces of the plurality of ground contact traces. Moreover, each phased array transducer includes at least a portion of at least one ground contact trace of a corresponding pair of ground contact traces, and where each phased array transducer includes a plurality of transducer elements.