An imaging device includes a two dimensional array of piezoelectric elements. Each piezoelectric element includes: a piezoelectric layer; a bottom electrode disposed on a bottom side of the piezoelectric layer and configured to receive a transmit signal during a transmit mode and develop an electrical charge during a receive mode; and a first top electrode disposed on a top side of the piezoelectric layer; and a first conductor, wherein the first top electrodes of a portion of the piezoelectric elements in a first column of the two dimensional array are electrically coupled to the first conductor.

Electroacoustic device (5) for generating at least one acoustic wave (Fv,Vx), the device comprising a piezoelectric substrate (10) and first (15) and second (20) groups of electrodes (60,65,70,75) arranged on the substrate, each electrode of the first and second groups comprising a track (80.sub.a-f,85.sub.a-f,90.sub.a-d,95.sub.a-d), the tracks (90.sub.a-d,95.sub.a-d) of the electrodes of the first group spiralling around a same spiral axis (Z) along a first winding direction (W.sub.1), and the tracks (80.sub.a-f,85.sub.a-f) of the electrodes of the second group spiralling around said spiral axis along a second winding direction (W.sub.2) opposite to the first winding direction.

Some embodiments of the invention relate to an applicator for applying ultrasound energy to a tissue volume, comprising: an array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers, the transducers arranged side by side, the transducers configured to emit unfocused ultrasound energy suitable to thermally damage at least a portion of the tissue volume, each of the transducers comprising a coating thin enough so as not to substantially affect heat transfer via the coating to the tissue; and a cooling module configured to apply cooling via the transducers to prevent overheating of a surface of the tissue volume being contacted by the transducers.

A piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) array may comprise PMUT devices with respective piezoelectric layers and electrode layers. Parasitic capacitance can be reduced when an electrode layer is not shared across PMUT devices but may expose the devices to electromagnetic interference (EMI). A conductive layer located within the structural layer or on a shared plane with the electrode layers may reduce EMI affecting the PMUT array operation.

An ultrasonic sensor includes a vibration plate that includes a vibration portion and is formed of a resin; a wall portion that is provided on the vibration plate, surrounds the vibration portion and is formed of a resin; and a piezoelectric element that is provided in the vibration portion of the vibration plate. Accordingly, the wall portion surrounding the vibration portion can suppress a frequency variation of an ultrasonic wave output from the ultrasonic sensor and can deform the ultrasonic sensor into a shape corresponding to a surface of an object having various shapes.

A wafer level ultrasonic chip module includes a substrate, a composite layer, a conducting material, and a base material. The substrate has a through slot that passes through an upper surface of the substrate and a lower surface of the substrate. The composite layer includes an ultrasonic body and a protective layer. A lower surface of the ultrasonic body is exposed from the through slot. The protective layer covers the ultrasonic body and a partial upper surface of the substrate. The protective layer has an opening, from which a partial upper surface of the ultrasonic body is exposed. The conducting material is in contact with the upper surface of the ultrasonic body. The base material covers the through slot, such that a space is formed among the through slot, the lower surface of the ultrasonic body and an upper surface of the base material.

A vibration device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface in an obverse-reverse relationship, a vibration element disposed on the first surface, a lid bonded to the first surface, an integrated circuit disposed on the first surface, a terminal disposed on the second surface, a through electrode which penetrates the semiconductor substrate, and is configured to electrically couple the terminal and the integrated circuit to each other, and a first capacitor which is provided with a first recess provided to the semiconductor substrate and opening in the first surface, an insulating film disposed on an inside surface of the first recess, and an electrically-conductive material filling the first recess, and has a first capacitance between the electrically-conductive material and the semiconductor substrate, wherein the electrically-conductive material does not have contact with the terminal at the second surface side.

Systems and methods are provided whereby a directional property of an ultrasound transducer element, such as a steering direction, is controlled according to a first driving waveform that is delivered to opposing propagation electrodes and a second driving waveform that is delivered to opposing lateral electrodes. The directional property may be controlled according a phase difference and/or relative amplitude between the first and second driving waveforms, and/or the selective actuation of one or more lateral electrodes when the lateral electrodes are defined in an array. The ultrasound transducer element may be a ring-shaped transducer element and a directional property associated with a focal region may be controlled. In some example embodiments, array elements of an ultrasound transducer array may each include propagation and lateral electrodes, with each array element being driven by respective first and second driving waveforms to focus the ultrasound energy emitted by the ultrasound transducer array.

Provided is an electric field-vibration generating transducer having a piezoelectric material of a high degree of displacement, and a manufacturing method thereof. The electric field-vibration generating transducer lowers the cost of production through miniaturization simultaneously with realizing excellent generating characteristics of the electric field-vibration generating transducer based on high efficiency and low voltage driving because the piezoelectric material of the high degree of displacement (high strain piezoelectrics) having a high piezoelectric constant (d.sub.33=1,000 to 6,000 pC/N), a high dielectric constant (K.sub.3.sup.T=6,000 to 15,000) as well as a low dielectric loss (tan δ<2%) is applied thereto, so the electric field-vibration generating transducer may accelerate the movement of a material, a chemical action, and a biological reaction, and may be applied to a medical device for the purpose of treatment for tumors aimed at human bodies and animals.

An ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment comprises: a plurality of sound absorbing bodies that form a sound absorbing layer; at least one ground connection part that is joined between the sound absorbing bodies; at least one center connection part that is joined between the sound absorbing bodies and has an electrode; a plurality of side connection parts that are joined between the sound absorbing bodies and disposed outside the center connection part and have an electrode; and a plurality of piezoelectric bodies that are disposed in front of the sound absorbing layer to be electrically connected to the ground connection part, the center connection part, and the side connection parts.