An ultrasound probe has an acoustic window (10) or lens (20) through which ultrasound is transmitted and received by a transducer array (30) located behind the lens or window inside a probe enclosure. The external, patient-contacting surface (24) of the acoustic lens or window is textured. The texturing of the surface of the lens or window better retains gel spread over the lens or window for an ultrasound procedure, reduces reverberation artifacts, and diminishes the appearance of scratches on the lens or window.

A process for fabricating a substrate for a radiofrequency device by joining a piezoelectric layer to a carrier substrate by way of an electrically insulating layer, the piezoelectric layer having a rough surface at its interface with the electrically insulating layer, the process being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: providing a piezoelectric substrate having a rough surface for reflecting a radiofrequency wave, depositing a dielectric layer on the rough surface of the piezoelectric substrate, providing a carrier substrate, depositing a photo-polymerizable adhesive layer on the carrier substrate, bonding the piezoelectric substrate to the carrier substrate by way of the dielectric layer and of the adhesive layer, in order to form an assembled substrate, irradiating the assembled substrate with a light flux in order to polymerize the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer and the dielectric layer together forming the electrically insulating layer.

An actuator assembly includes a primary electrode, a secondary electrode overlapping at least a portion of the primary electrode, and an electroactive polymer layer disposed between the primary electrode and the secondary electrode, where the electroactive polymer layer includes a non-vertical (e.g., sloped) sidewall with respect to a major surface of at least one of the electrodes. The electroactive polymer layer may be characterized by a non-axisymmetric shape with respect to an axis that is oriented orthogonal to an electrode major surface.

An electro-holographic light field generator device is disclosed. The light field generator device has an optical substrate with a waveguide face and an exit face. One or more surface acoustic wave (SAW) optical modulator devices are included within each light field generator device. The SAW devices each include a light input, a waveguide, and a SAW transducer, all configured for guided mode confinement of input light within the waveguide. A leaky mode deflection of a portion of the waveguided light, or diffractive light, impinges upon the exit face. Multiple output optics at the exit face are configured for developing from each of the output optics a radiated exit light from the diffracted light for at least one of the waveguides. An RF controller is configured to control the SAW devices to develop the radiated exit light as a three-dimensional output light field with horizontal parallax and compatible with observer vertical motion.

A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric device that includes a substrate and a vibration portion that can include a membrane or a beam that is directly or indirectly supported by the substrate and arranged above the substrate. Moreover, the vibration portion includes a piezoelectric layer and the method includes forming the vibration portion and adjusting a resonance frequency of the vibration portion by locally subjecting a region including the vibration portion to heat treatment.

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for fabricating 3D piezoelectric materials. In one aspect, a method includes photopolymerizing a selected portion of a two dimensional plane in a sample of a photolabile polymer solution containing piezoelectric nanoparticles to form a layer of a piezoelectric material, the photopolymerizing including directing light from a light source based on a pattern design in the selected portion of the photolabile polymer solution; and moving one or both of the sample and the directed light to photopolymerize another selected portion of another two dimensional plane in the sample to form another layer of the piezoelectric material.

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for fabricating 3D piezoelectric materials. In one aspect, a method includes photopolymerizing a selected portion of a two dimensional plane in a sample of a photolabile polymer solution containing piezoelectric nanoparticles to form a layer of a piezoelectric material, the photopolymerizing including directing light from a light source based on a pattern design in the selected portion of the photolabile polymer solution; and moving one or both of the sample and the directed light to photopolymerize another selected portion of another two dimensional plane in the sample to form another layer of the piezoelectric material.

A process for fabricating a substrate for a radiofrequency device by joining a piezoelectric layer to a carrier substrate by way of an electrically insulating layer, the piezoelectric layer having a rough surface at its interface with the electrically insulating layer, the process being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: providing a piezoelectric substrate having a rough surface for reflecting a radiofrequency wave, depositing a dielectric layer on the rough surface of the piezoelectric substrate, providing a carrier substrate, depositing a photo-polymerizable adhesive layer on the carrier substrate, bonding the piezoelectric substrate to the carrier substrate by way of the dielectric layer and of the adhesive layer, in order to form an assembled substrate, irradiating the assembled substrate with a light flux in order to polymerize the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer and the dielectric layer together forming the electrically insulating layer.

A process for fabricating a substrate for a radiofrequency device by joining a piezoelectric layer to a carrier substrate by way of an electrically insulating layer, the piezoelectric layer having a rough surface at its interface with the electrically insulating layer, the process being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: providing a piezoelectric substrate having a rough surface for reflecting a radiofrequency wave, depositing a dielectric layer on the rough surface of the piezoelectric substrate, providing a carrier substrate, depositing a photo-polymerizable adhesive layer on the carrier substrate, bonding the piezoelectric substrate to the carrier substrate by way of the dielectric layer and of the adhesive layer, in order to form an assembled substrate, irradiating the assembled substrate with a light flux in order to polymerize the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer and the dielectric layer together forming the electrically insulating layer.

There is provided a SAW filter manufacturing method for manufacturing a SAW filter from a piezoelectric substrate having planned dividing lines set on a top surface of the piezoelectric substrate, and having a device including comb-shaped electrodes in regions demarcated by the planned dividing lines. The method includes a structure forming step of forming a structure having projections and depressions on an undersurface side of the piezoelectric substrate by irradiating the piezoelectric substrate with a laser beam of a wavelength absorbable by the piezoelectric substrate from the undersurface side of the piezoelectric substrate, and a dividing step of dividing the piezoelectric substrate along the planned dividing lines after the structure forming step.