An ultrasound probe includes: a plurality of ultrasound transducers each including a diaphragm, a lower electrode laminated on a surface of the diaphragm, a piezoelectric film laminated on a surface of the lower electrode, and including an effective area in which larger vibration is caused upon piezoelectric conversion, and a reference area in which smaller vibration than that in the effective area is caused upon piezoelectric conversion, and an upper electrode laminated on a surface of the piezoelectric film; and hardware processors that correct variation in performance between the ultrasound transducers, wherein one or both of the lower electrode and the upper electrode include an effective area electrode portion, and a reference area electrode portion, and each of the hardware processors is a device that corrects one or both of an output value from the effective area electrode portion and an input value to the effective area electrode portion.

A structure that prevents a substrate from being warped is provided on a region or a location other than a membrane that determines the characteristics of a CMUT. In a CMUT in a structure in which a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer are provided sandwiching a cavity on a substrate, for example, as a warpage prevention structure, a warpage prevention layer that prevents the substrate from being warped is provided between the substrate and the first conductive film. When the insulating film disposed between the cavity and the first conductive film and the insulating film disposed between the cavity and the second conductive film are silicon oxide films, the warpage prevention layer includes a silicon nitride film.

A piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric film having a first surface in contact with a vibrating film and a second surface on the opposite side to the first surface, first and second electrodes that are provided on the second surface of the piezoelectric film and that are disposed at positions away from each other and are short-circuited to each other at a position away from the piezoelectric film, and a third electrode that is provided between the first and second electrodes on the second surface of the piezoelectric film and is disposed at a position away from the first and second electrodes. At least parts of the contours of end portions of the first and second electrodes are defined in parallel to side portions of the third electrode.

A resonator and/or transducer comprising at least one deflectable membrane, a fixed substrate, and at least one cavity defined between the at least one deflectable membrane and the fixed substrate. A Free to Fixed Boundary Ratio (FFBR) of the deflectable membrane is selected to optimize a characteristic of the resonator and/or transducer, such as resonant frequency, displacement, operating voltage, electromechanical coupling coefficient, or mass sensitivity.

An ultrasonic transducer may include a piezoelectric wafer and backing layers. The backing layers may include a high impedance backing layer and a low impedance backing layer. The back surface of the piezoelectric wafer may be connected with the front surface of the high impedance backing layer, and the back surface of the high impedance backing layer may be connected with the front surface of the low impedance backing layer.

A display apparatus including a flexible vibration module and a method of manufacturing the flexible vibration module are provided. A display apparatus includes: a display panel configured to display an image, and a flexible vibration module on a rear surface of the display panel, the flexible vibration module configured to vibrate the display panel, the flexible vibration module including: a plurality of first portions having a piezoelectric characteristic, and a plurality of second portions respectively between pairs of the plurality of first portions, the plurality of second portions having flexibility.

This invention is related to inspection techniques for composite joints and repairs. In this scenario, this invention provides a system for inspecting a repair or joint made of composite material applied to a structure, comprising at least one element that excites or is excited (2, 10) by a thermal and/or vibrational stimulus, with at least one exciter or excitable (2, 10) element being embedded in the repair (1) or joint.

In respective methods for manufacturing a high aspect ratio structure and an ultrasonic probe, a plurality of holes extending in a direction crossing a main surface of a substrate are formed, a plurality of first regions and second regions excluding the first regions from the main surface are periodically defined, and partition walls between the plurality of holes formed in the substrate corresponding to the first regions are removed by etching so that part of each of the partition walls within a predetermined range excluding a bottom portion is left. A high aspect ratio structure and an X-ray imaging apparatus include, over a side wall, a porous member including a plurality of holes extending in a direction crossing a grating surface within a predetermined range excluding a bottom portion in each of a plurality of recesses in a grating.

An ultrasound transducer unit including a plurality of ultrasound transducers transmits and receives ultrasound waves to and from an inside of a subject. In a case where a checking operation unit is operated, a controller controls a driving voltage supply unit such that a driving voltage is supplied with all of the plurality of ultrasound transducers as driving target transducers. In a case where the checking operation unit is operated, a depolarization determination unit calculates, for each ultrasound transducer, a reception sensitivity in a case where an ultrasound wave is received by driving all of the plurality of ultrasound transducers as the driving target transducers, and determines whether or not a depolarization determination value calculated from the reception sensitivity of each ultrasound transducer satisfies numerical conditions. If the numerical conditions are satisfied, a polarization voltage supply unit supplies a polarization voltage to each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers.

A control circuit of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus having an ultrasound endoscope controls a transmission circuit to generate a transmission signal, which includes a diagnostic driving pulse applied to each of a plurality of ultrasound transducers that generate ultrasound waves for acquiring an ultrasound image, in the case of acquiring the ultrasound image, and controls the transmission circuit to generate a polarization driving pulse, which has a polarization driving voltage different from voltage of the diagnostic driving pulse within the same settable voltage range as the diagnostic driving pulse and has a frequency different from a probe frequency band for acquiring the ultrasound image, in order to perform the polarization processing of the plurality of ultrasound transducers in the case of performing the polarization processing.