JP2011259274A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic probe that can efficiently transmit ultrasonic waves without disturbing vibration of a movable film and prevent performance degradation caused by a load when used, and an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus using the same.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe has a support member 8, and a diaphragm 6 as a movable film supported by the support member 8. The support member 8 has a projecting portion 84 formed so as to project to the front side of the diaphragm 6 in a transmission direction of ultrasonic waves, and an opening portion 81 formed so as to open the front side of the diaphragm 6. The opening portion 81 is filled with an acoustic transmission member 82 having lower rigidity than the projecting portion 84.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including the ultrasonic probe.

  Since the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has a feature that the internal tissue can be easily observed and can be observed in real time, the application scene to the diagnosis is increasing more and more. As an ultrasonic probe of this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, for example, a unimorph diaphragm (movable film) in which a piezoelectric thin film (drive layer) such as PZT is formed on a substrate (base material layer) such as silicon is vibrated in a drum shape. A pMUT (Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer) that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves is known.

  Such an ultrasonic probe of pMUT can be broadened in frequency band, miniaturized to have higher resolution than a bulk PZT divided by dicing, and has a transducer for acquiring a three-dimensional image ( It is suitable for two-dimensional arrangement of cells), and since it can be reduced in size and thickness, it has advantages such as being suitable for application to an ultrasonic endoscope. In particular, in a one-dimensional array of transducers, since the image that can be acquired is a tomographic image, there is a risk of false negatives due to the operation, and thus the skill level of the operator (doctor, ultrasonic diagnostic engineer) is required. In order to alleviate such problems, there is a high need for a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic probes capable of acquiring a three-dimensional image.

  An example of such a pMUT ultrasonic probe is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is arranged such that the movable film supported by the support member protrudes to the front side of the support member in the ultrasonic transmission direction. (See Patent Document 1 and FIG. 11).

JP-T-2006-516368

  By the way, in the medical use, the ultrasonic probe is generally provided with a coating layer such as silicone rubber on the tip side in order to be pressed against the human body to eliminate uncomfortable feeling during use.

  However, as in Patent Document 1, when the movable film is disposed so as to protrude to the front side of the support member in the ultrasonic transmission direction, a coating layer such as silicone rubber is disposed on the front side. In this case, unlike the case of using bulk PZT, the elasticity of rubber becomes a driving load for the movable film, and sufficient transmission intensity and reception sensitivity cannot be obtained. In addition, when pressed against the human body, the movable film is deformed, the resonance frequency changes, and the load fluctuates, which makes it difficult to transmit and receive stable ultrasonic waves.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can efficiently transmit ultrasonic waves without interfering with the vibration of the movable film, and that can prevent performance deterioration due to a load during use.

  In order to solve the above problems, an ultrasonic probe according to an aspect of the present invention is configured to vibrate ultrasonic waves by vibrating an electric field applied to a movable film supported by a support member so as to vibrate. An ultrasonic probe that transmits in a predetermined direction so that the ultrasonic wave can be transmitted to a subject, wherein the support member protrudes further forward in the ultrasonic wave transmission direction than the movable film. And an opening formed to open the front side of the movable film, and the opening is filled with an acoustic transmission member having a rigidity lower than that of the protrusion. It is characterized by being.

  According to this configuration, even when the covering layer is provided by the protruding portion, the covering layer and the movable film can be disposed with a sufficient distance. For example, when a covering layer such as silicone rubber is disposed on the front side However, the elasticity of rubber and the like can be reduced so as not to become a load for driving the movable film, and the movable film can have sufficient transmission strength and reception sensitivity. If the protrusion is made of a material that is difficult to deform when pressed against the human body, the movable film can be prevented from being deformed, and performance deterioration due to load fluctuations can be prevented.

  In addition, the acoustic transmission member can efficiently transmit ultrasonic waves without interfering with the vibration of the movable film, and more stable high transmission intensity and reception sensitivity can be obtained.

  In another aspect, in the above-described ultrasonic probe, the acoustic transmission member is made of a material whose acoustic impedance is intermediate between the acoustic impedance of the movable film and the acoustic impedance of the human body. And

  According to this configuration, since the acoustic transmission member is made of a material whose acoustic impedance is intermediate between the acoustic impedance of the movable film and the acoustic impedance of the human body, the transmission of ultrasonic waves can be improved. .

  In another aspect, in the above-described ultrasonic probe, the acoustic transmission member is made of silicone rubber.

  According to this configuration, since the acoustic transmission member is made of silicone rubber, for example, when a coating layer is provided on the front side, it can be made of the same material as the coating layer and can be easily manufactured.

  In another aspect, in the above-described ultrasonic probe, a coating layer disposed so as to cover the support member from the front side is provided on the front side of the support member, and the acoustic transmission member Is made of a liquid, and the covering layer encloses the acoustic transmission member so as to cover the front side of the acoustic transmission member.

  According to this structure, the acoustic transmission member comprised from the liquid can be enclosed by a coating layer, and arrangement | positioning of the acoustic transmission member consisting of a liquid can be made easy.

  According to another aspect, in the above-described ultrasonic probe, the movable film has a laminated structure of a drive layer and a base material layer made of a piezoelectric material.

  According to this structure, it can be made suitable for the thing of the laminated structure of a drive layer and a base material layer.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes any one of the above-described ultrasonic probes.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe that can efficiently transmit ultrasonic waves without interfering with vibration of the movable film, and that can prevent performance deterioration due to a load during use.

  The ultrasonic probe of the present invention can efficiently transmit ultrasonic waves without interfering with the vibration of the movable film, and can prevent performance deterioration due to a load during use. Further, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including an ultrasonic probe that can efficiently transmit ultrasonic waves without interfering with the vibration of the movable film and can prevent performance deterioration due to a load during use.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance structure of the ultrasound diagnosing device in embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device in embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the ultrasound probe in the ultrasound diagnosing device of embodiment. It is a top view of the ultrasonic transmission / reception part in an ultrasonic probe. It is the rear view to which the principal part of the ultrasonic transmission / reception part was expanded. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. It is a top view of the ultrasonic transceiver part of other embodiments. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of the ultrasonic transmission / reception part of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of the ultrasonic transmission / reception part of other embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic probe in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus S according to the embodiment transmits an ultrasonic wave (first ultrasonic signal) to a subject such as a living body (not shown), and is based on the first ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic probe 2 that receives ultrasonic waves (second ultrasonic signal) coming from within the subject, and the ultrasonic probe 2 and the cable 3 are connected to each other, and the cable 3 is connected to the ultrasonic probe 2. The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits the first ultrasonic signal to the subject by transmitting a transmission signal of an electrical signal via the, and also comes from within the subject received by the ultrasonic probe 2. And an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 that images the internal state of the subject as an ultrasonic image based on the received signal of the electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the second ultrasonic signal. Configured.

  The ultrasonic waves coming from within the subject based on the first ultrasonic signal are not only reflected waves (echoes) reflected from the first ultrasonic signal in the subject due to acoustic impedance mismatches in the subject, for example, When an ultrasonic contrast agent (contrast agent) such as microbubbles (microbubbles) is used, there is also an ultrasonic wave generated by the microbubbles of the ultrasonic contrast agent based on the first ultrasonic signal. When an ultrasonic contrast agent is irradiated with ultrasonic waves, the microbubbles of the ultrasonic contrast agent resonate or resonate, and further collapse or disappear at a sound pressure above a certain threshold. In the ultrasonic contrast agent, ultrasonic waves are generated by resonance of microbubbles or by collapse or disappearance of microbubbles.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 includes an operation input unit 11, a transmission unit 12, a reception unit 13, an image processing unit 14, a display unit 15, and a control unit 16. Configured.

  The operation input unit 11 is, for example, a device for inputting data such as a command for instructing start of diagnosis and personal information of a subject, and is, for example, an operation panel or a keyboard provided with a plurality of input switches.

  For example, the transmission unit 12 transmits a control signal from the control unit 16 to the ultrasound probe 2. For example, the receiving unit 13 receives a reception signal transmitted from the ultrasound probe 2 and outputs the received signal to the image processing unit 14.

  The image processing unit 14 controls the inside of the subject based on a predetermined frequency component in the second ultrasound signal received from the inside of the subject based on the first ultrasound signal received by the receiving unit 13 according to the control of the control unit 16. It is a circuit which forms the image (ultrasonic image) showing the internal state of. Examples of the predetermined frequency component include a fundamental wave component and harmonic components such as a second harmonic component, a third harmonic component, and a fourth harmonic component. The image processing unit 14 may be configured to form an ultrasonic image using a plurality of frequency components. For example, the image processing unit 14 performs processing by the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) that generates an ultrasonic image of the subject based on the output of the receiving unit 13 and the DSP to display the ultrasonic image on the display unit 15. And a digital-analog conversion circuit (DAC circuit) for converting the converted signal from a digital signal to an analog signal. The DSP includes, for example, a B-mode processing circuit, a Doppler processing circuit, a color mode processing circuit, and the like, and can generate so-called B-mode images, Doppler images, and color mode images.

  The display unit 15 is a device that displays an ultrasonic image of the subject generated by the image processing unit 14 under the control of the control unit 16. The display unit 15 is, for example, a display device such as a CRT display, LCD (liquid crystal display), organic EL display, or plasma display, or a printing device such as a printer.

  The control unit 16 includes, for example, a microprocessor, a storage element, and peripheral circuits thereof, and the ultrasonic probe 2, the operation input unit 11, the transmission unit 12, the reception unit 13, the image processing unit 14, and a display. It is a circuit that performs overall control of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus S by controlling the unit 15 according to the function.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic probe (ultrasonic probe) 2 includes a probe main body 4 and an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 that is provided in the probe main body 4 and transmits / receives ultrasonic waves. . Note that the X direction in FIG. 3 will be described as the front side. This is the same in FIG. 6 described later.

  The probe body 4 includes a coating layer 41 provided at the front end, a signal processing circuit unit 42 provided on the rear end side, and a backing material disposed between the coating layer 41 and the signal processing circuit unit 42. Layer 43.

  The covering layer 41 is in contact with, for example, a living body as a subject at the time of diagnosis, and does not give unpleasant feeling at the time of contact, and is made of silicone rubber or the like whose acoustic impedance is close to that of the human body.

  The backing material layer 43 plays a role of attenuating unnecessary vibration generated in the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 4.

  The signal processing circuit unit 42 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus S via the cable 3 and generates a pulse signal for ultrasonic transmission or processes a received pulse signal.

  Specifically, under the control of the control unit 16, the transmission signal of the electrical signal transmitted from the transmission unit 12 is supplied to cause the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 to generate the first ultrasonic signal. For example, a high voltage pulse generator that generates a high voltage pulse is provided. The drive signal generated by the signal processing circuit unit 42 is a plurality of pulse-like signals in which delay times are individually set appropriately for each of a plurality of diaphragms 6 to be described later, and is supplied to each of the diaphragms 6. . Depending on the plurality of drive signals, the phases of the ultrasonic waves radiated from the diaphragms 6 coincide with each other in a specific direction (specific direction) (or a specific transmission focus point), and the transmission beam forms a main beam in the specific direction. The first ultrasonic signal is generated.

  Further, the signal processing circuit unit 42 receives and processes an electric signal received from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 under the control of the control unit 16. Then, similarly to the formation of a transmission beam at the time of transmission, a reception beam may be formed at the time of reception by so-called phasing addition. That is, by appropriately setting delay times individually for a plurality of output signals output from the respective diaphragms 6 and adding the delayed output signals, the phase of each output signal is changed to a specific direction (specific direction). ) (Or a specific reception focus point), and a main beam is formed in the specific direction. In such a case, for example, a reception beamformer to which each output signal amplified by the amplifier is input may be provided. The signal processing circuit unit 42 may be provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 and can be changed as appropriate.

  The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 is disposed between the covering layer 41 and the backing material layer 43 of the probe body 4. The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 of this embodiment includes a diaphragm (movable film) 6 and a support member 8 that supports the diaphragm 6 (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

  The diaphragm 6 has a unimorph structure including a base layer 61 and a driving layer 62 laminated on the back side of the base layer 61 as shown in FIG. It is composed of a plurality of circular cells arranged in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the base material layer 61 is composed of a part of a silicon thin plate 61b having a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ ) 61a on the front surface as shown in FIG. Specifically, the thin plate-like body 61 b includes a plurality of circular base material layers 61 on which the driving layers 62 are stacked, and a held portion 61 c held by the support member 8.

  The drive layer 62 is made of a piezoelectric material as an electromechanical conversion element. The piezoelectric material in this embodiment is made of PZT. In addition, a common electrode layer 64 made of platinum or the like is provided on the front surface of the drive layer 62 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, an individual electrode layer 63 made of gold or the like is provided on the back surface of the drive layer 62.

  The driving layer 62 in which the common electrode layer 64 and the individual electrode layer 63 are laminated is laminated on the back side of the base material layer 61, thereby forming a thin-film diaphragm composed of a plurality of circular cells. 6 is formed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the four diaphragms 6 are commonly connected as one element 66 (four surrounded by the one-dot chain line in FIGS. 4 and 5) and operate in synchronization. The plurality of elements 66 are two-dimensionally arranged in the left-right and up-down directions.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the individual electrode layer 63 includes cell connecting portions 63a extending from the four diaphragms 6, and each of the four diaphragms 6 is provided via the cell extending portion 63a. The arranged individual electrode layers 63 are connected to each other.

  Similarly to the individual electrode layer 63, the common electrode layer 64 includes cell connecting portions 64 a extending from the four diaphragms 6, and extends from each one element 66 including the four diaphragms 6. The element extending portion 64b is provided, and the elements 66 are connected to each other by the element extending portion 64b. In FIG. 5, only one element extending portion 64b is shown and the others are omitted.

  In this embodiment, the support member 8 is composed of a silicon plate-like body as shown in FIG. 6, and includes a support member main body 80, a support portion 83 that supports the diaphragm 6, and the supported diaphragm 6. Are also provided with a projecting portion 84 formed so as to project forward (front side in the ultrasonic transmission direction) and an opening 81 formed so as to open the front side of the diaphragm 6.

  The support portion 83 is formed on the back surface of the support member main body 80, and the held portion 61c of the thin plate-like body 61b is held by the support portion 83. Accordingly, the diaphragm 6 is disposed on the back side of the support member 8 and supported via the held portion 61 c, and the entire support member main body 80 protrudes forward from the diaphragm 6.

  The protrusion 84 is made of a material that is difficult to deform when pressed against the human body. In this embodiment, it is comprised from the whole support member main body 80 which protruded ahead from the diaphragm 6 as mentioned above.

  The opening 81 is formed at a position corresponding to the diaphragm 6 in a circular shape having substantially the same size as the diaphragm 6 so as to penetrate from the front surface to the back surface of the support member main body 80.

  The opening 81 is filled with an acoustic transmission member 82 having a rigidity lower than that of the protrusion 84. The acoustic transmission member 82 is made of a material whose acoustic impedance is between the acoustic impedances of the diaphragm 6 and the human body, for example, silicone rubber, or a liquid such as water.

  If the acoustic transmission member 82 is made of, for example, silicone rubber, and the covering layer 41 is made of the same silicone rubber, both can be formed integrally, and manufacture can be facilitated. The acoustic transmission member 82 filled in the opening 81 is sealed in the opening 81 by the covering layer 41, and the covering layer 41 functions as a cap.

  In this embodiment, a through silicon via (TSV) substrate 7 as a sealing member is provided on the back side of the drive layer 62. The through silicon via substrate 7 includes a recess 71 on the front side, and includes an individual electrode through electrode 72 having a solder bump 72a and a common electrode through electrode 73 having a solder bump 73a. The individual electrode through electrode 72 and the common electrode through electrode 73 are formed by filling an electrode material such as copper into the through hole 74 provided in the through silicon via substrate 7 by plating or the like.

  The through silicon via substrate 7 includes the drive layer 62, the individual electrode layer 63, and the common electrode layer 64 in the recess 71, and the recess 71 is in a vacuum space so that the through silicon via substrate 7 Is entirely sealed by the entire periphery of the thin plate-like body 61b.

  In this state, the solder bumps 72a of the individual electrode through electrode 72 are connected to the individual electrode layer 63 so as to be able to be energized, and the solder bump 73a of the common electrode through electrode 73 can be supplied to the common electrode layer 64. It is connected. The base end sides of the individual electrode through electrode 72 and the common electrode through electrode 73 are connected to the signal processing circuit unit 42 through the backing material layer 43 so as to be energized.

  In this embodiment, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 configured as described above is formed as follows. A common electrode layer 64 is formed by depositing platinum on the thin plate 61b of the SOI wafer having a laminated structure of a silicon plate, a silicon oxide film 61a, and a silicon thin plate 61b by sputtering or the like. To do.

  Further, the drive layer 62 is formed on the common electrode layer 64 by depositing PZT by sputtering or solgen method. Further, the individual electrode layer 63 is formed on the driving layer 62 by depositing gold by sputtering or the like.

  Next, the individual electrode layer 63, the drive layer 62, and the common electrode layer 64 are sequentially formed into a circular cell shape by patterning, and the opening 81 is etched at a position corresponding to the diaphragm 6 in the plate-like body. Formed by.

  As a result, the individual electrode layer 63, the drive layer 62, the common electrode layer 64, and a part of the thin plate-like body 61b can be laminated to form a plurality of diaphragms 6 opened on the front side, and the plate-like body can be a support member. 8, the diaphragm 6 is supported on the back side.

  Then, the support member 8 and the through silicon via substrate 7 are joined by anodic bonding which is a vacuum process, thereby forming a vacuum space on the back surface of the diaphragm 6. Further, the solder bumps 72a and 73a are brought into pressure contact with the individual electrode layer 63 and the common electrode layer 64 by the pressure at the time of joining. For this bonding method, eutectic bonding or room temperature bonding can also be used (in the case of eutectic bonding, a metal material such as gold is formed on both bonding surfaces).

  Finally, dicing is performed and cut into chips to obtain the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5. PZT undergoes repolarization by applying a polarization voltage because depolarization occurs due to the high temperature during bonding.

  When diagnosing with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus S configured as described above, for example, when an instruction to start diagnosis is input from the operation input unit 11, the signal processing circuit unit 42 performs ultrasonic transmission according to the control of the control unit 16. A trusted pulse signal is generated.

  The generated pulse signal applies a pulse voltage with a predetermined delay time to each element 66 of the plurality of diaphragms 6 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5. In the diaphragm 6, the driving layer 62 expands and contracts when this pulse voltage is applied, but the base material layer 61 laminated on the driving layer 62 does not expand and contract, so that the driving layer 62 and the base material layer 61 have a drum shape. Vibrate. Due to this vibration, the diaphragm 6 radiates the first ultrasonic signal in the front-rear direction in the thickness direction of the diaphragm 6. In addition, by providing a time difference between the elements of the diaphragm 6 and transmitting a pulse voltage, the ultrasonic wave can be focused in a predetermined distance and direction.

  At this time, when the vacuum space 75 is not provided on the back side of the drive layer 62, the first ultrasonic signal radiated from the diaphragm 6 to the back side of the drive layer 62 is reflected and returned to the member on the back side. The diaphragm 6 is vibrated, resulting in tailing of transmission pulses and noise during reception. However, in this embodiment, since the vacuum space 75 is provided on the back side of the drive layer 62, the transmission of the first ultrasonic signal radiated from the diaphragm 6 to the back side of the drive layer 62 can be prevented. Generation of noise can be suppressed. Accordingly, the diaphragm 6 radiates the first ultrasonic signal forward (X direction in FIGS. 3 and 6).

  The first ultrasonic signal radiated from the diaphragm 6 toward the front coating layer 25 is radiated through the coating layer 25. When the covering layer 25 is in contact with the subject, for example, the first ultrasound signal is transmitted from the ultrasound probe 2 to the subject.

  At this time, the protruding portion 84 (supporting member 8) protrudes forward from the diaphragm 6, and the covering layer 25 and the diaphragm 6 are disposed with a sufficient distance. For example, the covering layer 25 is made of silicone rubber or the like. Even when configured from the above, the elasticity of rubber or the like can be reduced so as not to become a load for driving the movable film, and the movable film can have sufficient transmission strength and reception sensitivity. Further, since the protrusion 84 is not easily deformed when pressed against a human body, the movable film can be prevented from being deformed, and performance deterioration due to load fluctuation can be prevented.

  Note that the ultrasound probe 2 may be used in contact with the surface of the subject, or may be used by being inserted into the subject, for example, being inserted into a body cavity of a living body. .

  At that time, moisture may enter the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 from the coating layer 25, but the base material layer 61 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 is disposed in front of the driving layer 62 in the ultrasonic transmission direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of moisture entering the driving layer 62 and to provide a high reliability against dielectric breakdown of the driving layer (PZT). Therefore, the electric field strength can be increased and a large transmission strength can be obtained.

  The ultrasonic wave transmitted to the subject is reflected at one or a plurality of boundary surfaces having different acoustic impedances inside the subject, and becomes a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave. Alternatively, when the ultrasound contrast agent is injected into the subject, ultrasound is generated by the ultrasound contrast agent due to the first ultrasound signal. This ultrasonic wave includes not only the frequency (fundamental fundamental frequency) component of the transmitted first ultrasonic signal but also a harmonic frequency component that is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency. For example, second harmonic components such as twice, three times, and four times the fundamental frequency, third harmonic components, and fourth harmonic components are also included. This ultrasonic wave is received by the ultrasonic probe 2.

  More specifically, this ultrasonic wave is received by the diaphragm 6 through the coating layer 25, and mechanical vibration is converted into an electric signal, and electric charges are generated in the individual electrode layer 63 as a received signal. The received signal of this electric signal is processed by the signal processing circuit unit 42 and output to the image processing unit 14.

  Then, the image processing unit 14 controls the control unit 16 to control the distance from the transmission to reception based on the received signal, and the distance to the subject due to the time difference between the elements. Each is detected and an ultrasonic image of the subject is generated. For example, the image processing unit 14 extracts a harmonic component from the received signal by a filtering method, and generates an ultrasonic image of the internal state inside the subject using a harmonic imaging technique based on the extracted harmonic component. The Further, for example, the image processing unit 14 extracts a harmonic component from the received signal by the phase inversion method (pulse inversion method), and uses the harmonic imaging technique based on the extracted harmonic component to inside the subject. An ultrasound image of the state is generated. The display unit 15 displays the ultrasound image of the subject generated by the image processing unit 14 under the control of the control unit 16.

  As described above, since the base material layer 61 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 in the ultrasonic probe 2 is disposed in front of the driving layer 62 in the ultrasonic transmission direction, the through wiring is formed in the base material layer 61. The wiring structure can be easily obtained by a conventional technique such as a through silicon via, and the density can be increased without reducing the degree of freedom of cell arrangement.

  In the above embodiment, the diaphragms 6 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 5 of the ultrasonic probe 2 are arranged in a two-dimensional array, but may be arranged in a one-dimensional array and can be changed as appropriate. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, ten diaphragms 106 (ten surrounded by a one-dot chain line in the figure) of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 105 are electrically connected in common and operate in synchronization. A single element 166 is configured. In this way, one element 166 composed of ten diaphragms 106 is arranged in the left-right direction.

  With this configuration, for example, the individual electrode lead-out portion 163 can be concentrated on the lower side of each element, and the common electrode lead-out portion 164 can be concentrated on the right side of the entire element. And can be directly connected by a through electrode (not shown) provided in the backing material layer 143.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the backing material layer 143 has a recess 143a on the front surface side. The entire circumference of the backing material layer 143 is directly bonded to the entire circumference of the thin plate-like body 61b with an adhesive or the like so that the driving layer 62 is accommodated in the recess 143a of the backing material layer 143.

  At that time, it is preferable that an acoustic attenuation member 143b for attenuating the ultrasonic wave emitted from the diaphragm 106 is accommodated in the recess 143a. The acoustic damping member 143b is, for example, a rubber-like substance, a rubber-like substance in which metal particles such as tungsten are dispersed, a gel-like substance in which metal particles are dispersed, an insulating oil, or the like. The liquid can be mentioned. Moreover, it is preferable that the depth of the concave portion 143a is a distance at which the ultrasonic wave is sufficiently attenuated.

  In the case shown in FIG. 8, an acoustic lens 141 is used as a covering layer. The acoustic lens 141 has a lens action on waves in the ultrasonic wavelength band and converges the ultrasonic waves transmitted toward the subject. Although not shown, the acoustic lens 141 has a shape bulging in an arc shape.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the base material layer was arrange | positioned in the front side of the drive layer in an ultrasonic transmission direction, it can change suitably not only in this form. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the base material layer 261 may be disposed on the rear side of the drive layer 262 in the ultrasonic transmission direction (X direction in the figure). Hereinafter, another embodiment in which the base material layer 261 is disposed on the rear side of the drive layer 262 in the ultrasonic transmission direction (X direction in the drawing) will be described based on FIG. 9.

  The support member 208 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 includes a support member main body 280, a protruding portion 284, and an opening 281. The support member main body 280 includes a holding portion 283 that holds a diaphragm support portion 260 a on the front surface, whereby the base material layer 261 of the diaphragm 206 is disposed on the rear side of the drive layer 262.

  In this embodiment, the protruding portion 284 is formed of a glass plate member that is separate from the support member main body 280. The projecting portion 284 is bonded to the diaphragm support portion 260 a, and is thereby attached to the front surface of the support member main body 280 via the diaphragm support portion 260 a and projects forward from the diaphragm 206.

  The opening 281 is constituted by a cylindrical through-hole formed in a portion corresponding to the diaphragm 206 in the plate-like member constituting the protruding portion 284 and having a diameter larger than the diameter of the diaphragm 206. In this through hole, the driving layer 262 of the diaphragm 206 and the individual electrode layer 263 and the common electrode layer 264 stacked on the driving layer 262 are accommodated, and thereby the front side of the diaphragm 206 is opened. Yes.

  The opening 81 is filled with an acoustic transmission member 282 having a rigidity lower than that of the protrusion 284, and the acoustic transmission member 282 is in that state by the covering layer 241 disposed so as to close the opening 81. To be maintained.

  In this embodiment, the support member main body 280 is provided with a cylindrical through-hole formed in a portion corresponding to the diaphragm 206 so as to have a diameter larger than the diameter of the diaphragm 206. Further, a glass plate-shaped covering member 209 is adhered to the back surface of the support member main body 280, and the through hole of the support member main body 280 is partitioned and formed in a vacuum part 280a. The vacuum part 280a prevents the ultrasonic wave radiated from the diaphragm 206 from being reflected or returned.

  In the above embodiment, the driving layer is made of PZT. However, the driving layer is not limited to this. For example, the driving layer is made of quartz, lithium niobate (LiNbO3), potassium niobate tantalate (K (Ta, Nb). ) O3), barium titanate (BaTiO3), lithium tantalate (LiTaO3), strontium titanate (SrTiO3), PZN-PT, PMN-PT, and the like, which can be appropriately changed.

  In the above embodiment, the diaphragm (movable film) is made of pMAT having a laminated structure of a driving layer made of a piezoelectric material and a base material layer. However, the diaphragm is made of, for example, a capacitive type (cMAT). It can also be configured and can be changed as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 2 Ultrasonic probe 5,105 Ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 6,106,206 Diaphragm (movable film)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Support member 61 Base material layer 62 Drive layer 63 Individual electrode layer 64 Common electrode layer 81 Opening part 82 Sound transmission member 84 Protrusion part S Substrate ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Claims (6)

Ultrasound capable of transmitting ultrasonic waves to a subject by transmitting an ultrasonic wave in a predetermined direction by vibrating the movable film by applying an electric field to the movable film supported to be vibrated by a support member. A probe,
The support member includes a protrusion formed to protrude forward in the transmission direction of the ultrasonic wave from the movable film, and an opening formed to open the front side of the movable film. Prepared,
An ultrasonic probe, wherein the opening is filled with an acoustic transmission member having rigidity lower than that of the protrusion.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic transmission member is made of a material whose acoustic impedance is intermediate between the acoustic impedance of the movable film and the acoustic impedance of the human body.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic transmission member is made of silicone rubber. A coating layer is provided on the front side of the support member so as to cover the support member from the front side.
The acoustic transmission member is composed of a liquid,
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the covering layer encloses the acoustic transmission member so as to cover a front side of the acoustic transmission member.   5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the movable film has a laminated structure of a driving layer made of a piezoelectric material and a base material layer.   An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising the ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.

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