An ultrasound system, probe and method are provided. The ultrasound system includes a transducer with piezoelectric transducer elements polarized in a poling direction. A bipolar transmit circuit is configured to generate a transmit signal having first and second polarity segments. The first and second polarity segments have corresponding first and second peak amplitudes. A bias generator is configured to generate a bias signal in a direction of the poling direction. The bias signal is combined with the transmit signal to form a biased transmit signal that is shifted in the direction of the poling direction and still includes both of positive and negative voltages over a transmit cycle.

Aspects of this disclosure relate to methods of manufacturing bulk acoustic wave components. Such methods include plasma dicing to singulate individual bulk acoustic wave components. A buffer layer can be formed over a substrate of bulk acoustic wave components such that streets are exposed. The bulk acoustic wave components can be plasma diced along the exposed streets to thereby singulate the bulk acoustic wave components

A multi-level piezoelectric actuator is manufactured using wafer level processing. Two PZT wafers are formed and separately metallized for electrodes. The metallization on the second wafer is patterned, and holes that will become electrical vias are formed in the second wafer. The wafers are then stacked and sintered, then the devices are poled as a group and then singulated to form nearly complete individual PZT actuators. Conductive epoxy is added into the holes at the product placement step in order to both adhere the actuator within its environment and to complete the electrical via thus completing the device. Alternatively: the first wafer is metallized; then the second wafer having holes therethrough but no metallization is stacked and sintered to the first wafer; and patterned metallization is applied to the second wafer to both form electrodes and to complete the vias. The devices are then poled as a group, and singulated.

A method for fabricating an intravascular imaging assembly is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a stacked structure (415) having a plurality of sacrificial material layers disposed between a plurality of ultrasound material layers in an alternating pattern; dicing the stacked structure (420) to form a plurality of elongated strips, each comprising an array of ultrasound elements defined by the plurality of ultrasound material layers and spacers defined by the plurality of sacrificial material layers; coupling a first elongated strip (430) of the plurality of elongated strips to a flexible circuit substrate; and removing the spacers (435) of the first elongated strip from the flexible circuit substrate.

In a chip-on-array approach, acoustic and electronic modules are separately formed. The acoustic stack is connected to one interposer, and the electronics are connected to another interposer. Different connection processes (e.g., using low temperature bonding for the acoustic stack and higher temperature-based interconnect for the electronics) may be used. This arrangement may allow for different pitches of the transducer elements and the I/O of the electronics by staggering vias in the interposers. The two interposers are then connected to form the chip-on-array.

Provided are a piezoelectric material, a piezoelectric member, a piezoelectric element and a pressure sensor that can be used in high-temperature environments. The piezoelectric material is composed of Sr-substituted akermanite represented by Ca.sub.(2-x)Sr.sub.xMgSi.sub.2O.sub.7 (0.1≤x≤0.6).

A laser light irradiation device includes: a laser light source; a spatial light modulator including a display unit configured to display a phase pattern; an objective lens configured to condense a laser light emitted from the spatial light modulator at the object; an image-transfer optical system configured to transfer an image of the laser light on the display unit to an entrance pupil plane of the objective lens; a reflected light detector configured to detect reflected light of the laser light which is incident in the object and reflected by an opposite surface opposite to a laser light entrance surface; and a controller configured to control the phase pattern. When the reflected light detector detects the reflected light, the controller displays a reflected light aberration correction pattern which is the phase pattern correcting aberration generated in the event of the laser light being transmitted through the object having twice the predetermined thickness.

Various methods and systems are provided for a multi-frequency transducer array. In one example, the transducer array may be fabricated via a wafer scale approach, where a first comb structure, with a first type of element, is formed by dicing a first acoustic stack and a second comb structure, with a second type of element, is formed by dicing a second acoustic stack. Combining the first and second comb structures may form a multi-frequency transducer array.

A method of processing a workpiece with a disk-shaped blade containing abrasive grains includes the steps of placing an auxiliary plate made of a material having a modulus of elasticity higher than a material of which a front surface side of the workpiece is made, on the front surface side of the workpiece, causing the blade rotated to cut into the front surface side of the workpiece to cut the workpiece as well as the auxiliary plate, and removing the auxiliary plate from the workpiece that has been cut by the blade.

A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body including a piezoelectric material, and a first electrode and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric body includes a base and a plurality of drivers. The base includes a first main surface and a second main surface opposing each other. The plurality of drivers is arranged on the first main surface in such a way as to be separate from each other. Each of the plurality of drivers includes a third main surface contacting the first main surface and a fourth main surface opposing the third main surface. The base includes a plurality of first regions in which the plurality of drivers is provided and a second region provided between the first regions adjacent to each other. The base is curved.