Method for making a transducer
View Patent ↗A method for producing transducers having a 1-3 composite structure. The transducer element includes a plurality of thin piezoceramic wafers which are electroded on opposing major surfaces. The spaced wafers are separated by a passive polymer layer in a composite structure and the electrodes on the opposing major surfaces are connected to different ones of top and bottom electrode surfaces.
1. A method of making a transducer comprising the steps of:
providing a block of a piezoceramic material having opposing top and bottom surfaces and four side surfaces;
cutting a series of spaced elongated rectangular channels extending through the top surface of the block to form a set of elongated parallel rectangular projections extending from the bottom surface of the block, the projections having a relatively thin transverse thickness and relatively large area opposing major surfaces extending from a first one of the side surfaces to an opposing one of the side surfaces;
providing sets of electrodes on the opposing major surfaces of the piezoceramic projections;
filling the channels with a polymer;
removing a piezoceramic portion of the block adjacent the bottom surface to produce a composite element; and
providing electrodes on opposing top and bottom surfaces of the composite element, wherein each of the electrodes on the opposing major surfaces connects to a different one of the top and bottom surface electrodes.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the sets of electrodes extend from a different one surface of the composite element to a distance spaced from the opposing other surface of the composite element.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
cutting a series of transverse spaced elongated rectangular channels through the composite element; and
filling the transverse channels with a polymer to form an array of 1-3 composite elements.