| US 7,589,455 B2 | ||
| Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer and production method of same | ||
| Hideo Adachi, Tokyo (Japan); Katsuhiro Wakabayashi, Tokyo (Japan); Kazuya Matsumoto, Tokyo (Japan); Ryo Ota, Tokyo (Japan); Masaaki Amikura, Tokyo (Japan); Hiroshi Ito, Tokyo (Japan); and Mamoru Hasegawa, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Olympus Medical Systems Corp., Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Nov. 19, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/942,364. | ||
| Application 11/942364 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2006/310270, filed on May 23, 2006. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2005-159582 (JP), filed on May 31, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0067895 A1, Mar. 20, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. H01L 41/09 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 310—335 | 27 Claims |
| 1. A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) which is constituted by a plurality of transducer elements comprising
plural transducer cells or plural subelements that are mutually connected in parallel and which comprises:
a silicon substrate;
a bottom electrode placed on the silicon substrate;
an upper electrode placed opposite to the bottom electrode and separated therefrom by a prescribed air or vacuum gap;
a membrane for supporting the upper electrode; and
a membrane supporting part for supporting the membrane, wherein
the cMUT comprises
a first electrode pad corresponding to either one of the transducer cells, each of a plurality of transducer subelement constituted
by a group of the transducer cells or each of the transducer elements and which has an electrical continuity to the upper
electrode,
a second electrode pad which is a ground electrode electrically connected to the upper electrode, and
a signal wire for receiving an input of a drive signal for driving the transducer element, wherein
the signal wire has an electrical continuity only to the first electrode pad that is not in a state of short-circuit to the
second electrode pad.
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