Micromachined imaging transducer

1. An imaging device configured to be located in an imaging catheter, said imaging device comprising:

a drive shaft having proximal and distal ends; and

an imaging transducer assembly coupled to the drive shaft, wherein the imaging transducer assembly includes one or more imaging transducers, wherein the one or more imaging transducers are formed from a photolithography based micromachined piezoelectric composite plate, the piezoelectric composite plate including a single crystal piezoelectric, wherein each imaging transducer includes a plurality of posts and each of the plurality of posts has an aspect ratio of post height to post width of at least 2 to 1.

2. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of one or more imaging transducers is in a 2-2 configuration or a 1-3 configuration.

3. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers is one of a one dimensional array of imaging transducers or a two dimensional array of imaging transducers.

4. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers are forward facing.

5. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers form an annular array.

6. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers operate at a frequency of at least 20 MHz.

7. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers operate at a frequency of at least 100 MHz.

8. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers have an operating bandwidth of at least 80%.

9. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers includes a plurality of kerfs, wherein each of the plurality of posts has a width in the range of approximately 3 to 36 μm and each of the plurality of kerfs has a width in the range of approximately 1 to 15 μm.

10. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the imaging transducers are in a 1-3 configuration, and the imaging device further comprises an annular array of electrodes over the imaging transducers.

11. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein the photolithography based micromachined piezoelectric composite plate is formed, at least in part, by:

forming a hard metal mask over portions of a composite plate where a plurality of posts are to be formed; and

etching portions of the plate exposed by the hard mask to form a plurality of kerfs between the posts, wherein the kerfs do not extend through the plate after the etching; and

filling the plurality of kerfs surrounding the plurality of posts with a polymeric material.

12. The imaging device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of posts has a vertical etching profile of at least 80°.

13. A method for fabricating one or more imaging transducers, comprising the steps of:

using photolithography based micromachining to form a plurality of posts on a piezoelectric material plate, wherein the step of forming a plurality of posts on a piezoelectric material plate using photolithography based micromachining comprises

forming a hard metal mask over portions of the plate where the plurality of posts are to be formed; and

etching portions of the plate exposed by the hard mask to form a plurality of kerfs between the posts, wherein the kerfs do not extend through the plate after the etching and wherein the posts have an aspect ratio of at least 2 to 1 and a vertical etching profile of at least 80°; and

filling the plurality of kerfs surrounding the plurality of posts with a polymeric material;

wherein the one or more imaging transducers are ultrasound transducers.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers operate at a frequency of at least 20 MHz.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the one or more imaging transducers is in a 2-2 configuration or a 1-3 configuration.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers is one of a one dimensional array of imaging transducers and a two dimensional array of imaging transducers.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers form an annular array.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers includes a plurality of posts and kerfs, wherein each of the plurality of posts has a width in the range of approximately 3 to 36 μm and each of the plurality of kerfs has a width in the range of approximately 1 to 15 μm.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more imaging transducers have an operating bandwidth of at least 80%.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein after the etching of the portions of the plate, an upper portion of each post is separated from an upper portion of adjacent posts only by the plurality of kerfs.

21. The method of claim 13 , wherein etching portions of the plate comprises etching portions of the plate leaving a bottom region unetched and connecting the plurality of posts;

the method further comprising removing the bottom region after filling the plurality of kerfs with the polymeric material.

22. A method for fabricating one or more imaging transducers, comprising the steps of:

using photolithography based micromachining to form a plurality of posts on a piezoelectric material plate, wherein the step of forming a plurality of posts on a piezoelectric material plate using photolithography based micromachining comprises

forming a hard metal mask over portions of the plate where the plurality of posts are to be formed; and

selectively etching portions of the plate exposed by the hard mask to form a plurality of kerfs surrounding the post, wherein, after the etching of the portions of the plate, an upper portion of each post is separated from an upper portion of adjacent posts only by the plurality of kerfs; and

filling the plurality of kerfs surrounding the plurality of posts with a polymeric material;

wherein the one or more imaging transducers includes a plurality of posts and kerfs, wherein each of the plurality of posts has a width in the range of approximately 3 to 36 μm, an aspect ratio of at least 2 to 1, and a vertical etching profile of at least 80°, and each of the plurality of kerfs has a width in the range of approximately 1 to 15 μm.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein etching portions of the plate comprises etching portions of the plate leaving a bottom region unetched and connecting the plurality of posts;

the method further comprising removing the bottom region after filling the plurality of kerfs with the polymeric material.