Fabrication of high-frequency pMUT arrays on silicon substrates.

A novel technique based on silicon micromachining for fabrication of linear arrays of high-frequency piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducers (pMUT) is presented. Piezoelectric elements are formed by deposition of lead zirconia titanate into etched features of a silicon substrate such that the depth of these features determine the element thickness and hence the resonance frequency. The process leaves a near planar surface which is ideal for further wafer level processing such as top electrode and interconnect formation. A fabricated element is characterized by pulse echo response.