US 12,246,348 B2
Capacitive Micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) having non-uniform pedestals
Lingyun Miao, Fremont, CA (US); and Sarp Satir, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to BFLY Operations, Inc, Burlington, MA (US)
Filed by BFLY OPERATIONS, INC., Burlington, MA (US)
Filed on Mar. 3, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/686,045.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/156,906, filed on Mar. 4, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0283121 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. B06B 1/02 (2006.01); G01N 29/24 (2006.01)
CPC B06B 1/0292 (2013.01) [G01N 29/2406 (2013.01); G01N 2291/106 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ultrasound device, comprising:
a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT), comprising:
a substrate;
a membrane coupled to the substrate such that a cavity exists between the substrate and the membrane;
a cavity bottom layer adjacent to the substrate; and
non-uniform pedestals protruding from the cavity bottom layer into the cavity and towards the membrane,
wherein the non-uniform pedestals comprise first non-uniform pedestals having a first pedestal diameter, d1, and second non-uniform pedestals having a second pedestal diameter, d2, different than d1, and
the cavity bottom layer comprises:
a first region having a first radius, the first region comprising the first nonuniform pedestals; and
a second region having a first inner radius and a first outer radius, the first inner radius being approximately equal to the first radius and the first outer radius being greater than the first inner radius, the second region comprising the second non-uniform pedestals.