Devices and methods to reduce ear wax clogging of acoustic ports, hearing aid systems, and feedback reduction systems are provided. A conformal hearing aid includes a hearing aid body, where the hearing aid body houses a microphone and a receiver, where the microphone is positioned within the hearing aid body to measure acoustic signals from an ambient environment, and where the receiver is positioned within the hearing aid body to emit acoustic signals toward a tympanic membrane of a user; an expandable element, where the expandable element is operatively connected to the hearing aid body, and where the expandable element is configured to encompass a circumferential portion of the hearing aid body when expanded; and an inflation management system, where the inflation management system is configured to expand the expandable element when actuated.

An acoustic sensor is configured to provide accurate and robust measurement of bodily sounds under a variety of conditions, such as in noisy environments or in situations in which stress, strain, or movement may be imparted onto a sensor with respect to a patient. Embodiments of the sensor provide a conformable electrical shielding, as well as improved acoustic and mechanical coupling between the sensor and the measurement site.

An imaging device (100) is disclosed comprising an ultrasound transducer array (101, 120, 130) having a plurality of ultrasound transducer elements defining an ultrasound emitting surface of the ultrasound transducer array; and an acoustic window (220) on the ultrasound emitting surface, said acoustic window comprising: a first layer (221) of a hydrocarbon elastomer contacting the ultrasound emitting surface, said first layer further containing an antioxidant; and a second layer (223) of a further hydrocarbon elastomer on the first layer, said second layer having a greater Shore A hardness than the first layer. Also disclosed are an ultrasound imaging system (10) comprising such an imaging device, such as catheter (100), and a method (300) of forming an acoustic window (220) on an ultrasound transducer array (101, 120, 130) for such a device (100).

A resonant member of a MEMS resonator oscillates in a mechanical resonance mode that produces non-uniform regional stresses such that a first level of mechanical stress in a first region of the resonant member is higher than a second level of mechanical stress in a second region of the resonant member. A plurality of openings within a surface of the resonant member are disposed more densely within the first region than the second region and at least partly filled with a compensating material that reduces temperature dependence of the resonant frequency corresponding to the mechanical resonance mode.

Methods of manufacturing a pressure sensor from an SOI wafer are provided. In preferred embodiments, the methods comprise forming a cavity in a SOI wafer by removing a first portion of a bottom silicon layer on the bottom side of the SOI wafer to a depth of an insulator layer; depositing a layer of a second material over the cavity; removing both the silicon layer and the insulator layer from a top side of the SOI wafer in a first plurality of areas above the cavity to form a diaphragm from the layer of a second material, wherein at least one support structure that spans the diaphragm is formed from material above the cavity that was not removed; and forming at least one piezoresistor in the SOI wafer over an intersection of the support structure and SOI wafer at an outside edge of the diaphragm.

Ultrasound devices and methods are described, including a repeatable ultrasound transducer probe having ultrasonic transducers and corresponding circuitry. The repeatable ultrasound transducer probe may be used individually or coupled with other instances of the repeatable ultrasound transducer probe to create a desired ultrasound device. The ultrasound devices may optionally be connected to various types of external devices to provide additional processing and image rendering functionality.

Film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) is provided. An exemplary FBAR includes a substrate; a first insulating material layer on the substrate, the first insulating material layer containing a first cavity; a second insulating material layer on the first insulating material layer, the second insulating material layer containing a second cavity and a third cavity spaced apart from the second cavity, the second cavity and the third cavity both in communication with the first cavity; a resonator sheet covering the second cavity and partially extending over the second insulating material layer; a third insulating material layer over the second insulating material layer and the resonator sheet, the third insulating material layer containing a fourth cavity, the fourth cavity in communication with the third cavity, and the fourth cavity partially overlapping the second cavity; and a capping layer on the third insulating material layer.

An acoustic wave device fabrication method includes: forming on a piezoelectric substrate a comb-shaped electrode and a wiring layer coupled to the comb-shaped electrode; forming on the piezoelectric substrate a first dielectric film having a film thickness greater than those of the comb-shaped electrode and the wiring layer, covering the comb-shaped electrode and the wiring layer, and being made of silicon oxide doped with an element or undoped silicon oxide; forming on the first dielectric film a second dielectric film having an aperture above the wiring layer; removing the first dielectric film exposed by the aperture of the second dielectric film by wet etching using an etching liquid causing an etching rate of the second dielectric film to be less than that of the first dielectric film so that the first dielectric film is left so as to cover an end face of the wiring layer and the comb-shaped electrode.

The invention relates to a power management system for supplying backup DC power to peak and/or high current demand battery applications, such as motor starting or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) used to power a critical load, such as, a data bus or other critical load, after an event, such as loss of primary AC or DC input, during relatively cold ambient temperatures. Two or more heaters can be provided; for example, a low power heater and a high-power heater. In a maintenance mode, the low power heater is used to maintain batteries at a predetermined temperature. In this mode, a battery charger is used to power the low power heater. In a boost mode, after the primary AC or DC input is restored, and battery temperature is too low to back up the critical load, the battery charger supplies power to one or both of the heaters. Since capacity of the battery charger is normally insufficient to heat the batteries to an acceptable operating temperature in a relatively short period of time, a portion of residual power from the batteries is used to boost power to the heaters in order to speed up the time to get each battery of said batteries to its rated operating temperature.

Switchable and/or tunable filters, methods of manufacture and design structures are disclosed herein. The method of forming the filters includes forming at least one piezoelectric filter structure comprising a plurality of electrodes formed to be in contact with at least one piezoelectric substrate. The method further includes forming a micro-electro-mechanical structure (MEMS) comprising a MEMS beam in which, upon actuation, the MEMS beam will turn on the at least one piezoelectric filter structure by interleaving electrodes in contact with the piezoelectric substrate or sandwiching the at least one piezoelectric substrate between the electrodes.