US 12,284,920 B2
Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer with a patterned membrane structure
Andre Guedes, Barcelona (ES); Fabian Goericke, Berkeley, CA (US); Stefon Shelton, Oakland, CA (US); Benedict Costello, Piedmont, CA (US); and David Horsley, Albany, CA (US)
Assigned to InvenSense, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by InvenSense, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 17, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/381,104.
Application 18/381,104 is a continuation of application No. 16/802,436, filed on Feb. 26, 2020, granted, now 11,844,282.
Application 16/802,436 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2017/062059, filed on Nov. 16, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2024/0049602 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. H10N 30/50 (2023.01); H04R 17/00 (2006.01); H10N 30/057 (2023.01); H10N 30/87 (2023.01); H10N 30/88 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 30/50 (2023.02) [H04R 17/00 (2013.01); H10N 30/057 (2023.02); H10N 30/871 (2023.02); H10N 30/883 (2023.02)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) device, comprising:
a substrate having an open cavity, the substrate including anchor points around the open cavity;
a membrane attached to the substrate at the anchor points such that a portion of the membrane overlies the open cavity; and
an actuating structure on a surface of the membrane, the actuating structure including a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between the membrane and an upper electrode layer, wherein the actuating structure is patterned to form a central portion aligned with the open cavity and three or more rib portions projecting radially outward from the central portion to the anchor points of the substrate where a portion of each of the three or more rib portions overlaps the anchor points of the substrate, the three or more rib portions separated from one another by respective gaps in the actuating structure, the respective gaps continuously extending from the central portion to the anchor points of the substrate,
wherein one or more of the three or more rib portions is patterned such that it is mechanically coupled to the central portion but electrically isolated from the central.