JP2011035916A - Ultrasonic endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrostatic capacitive ultrasonic vibrator in which an area to be hardly deformed elastically is constituted in the vicinity of the center of a membrane, an area to be easily deformed elastically is constituted around the membrane, and electric flux between electrodes becomes vertical to the electrodes in the vicinity of the center. <P>SOLUTION: The ultrasonic endoscope includes: the electrostatic capacitive ultrasonic vibrator; an acoustic lens disposed in an ultrasonic wave transmitting direction of the electrostatic capacitive ultrasonic vibrator; a housing which supports the acoustic lens in such a way that the electrostatic capacitive ultrasonic vibrator and the acoustic lens are spaced at a prescribed distance; and an ultrasonic medium filling a gap between the electrostatic capacitive ultrasonic vibrator and the acoustic lens. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic method is widely used in which an ultrasonic wave is irradiated toward the inner wall of a body cavity, and an internal state is imaged and diagnosed from the echo signal. One of the equipment used for this ultrasonic diagnostic method is an ultrasonic endoscope scope.

  An ultrasonic endoscope scope has an ultrasonic probe attached to the distal end of an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity. This ultrasonic probe converts an electrical signal into an ultrasonic wave and irradiates it into the body cavity. The reflected ultrasonic waves are received and converted into electric signals.

  Conventionally, in an ultrasonic probe, a ceramic piezoelectric material PZT (lead zirconate titanate) has been used as a piezoelectric element for converting an electrical signal into an ultrasonic wave, but a silicon semiconductor substrate was processed using silicon micromachining technology. Capacitive ultrasonic transducers (hereinafter referred to as “c-MUT”) are attracting attention. This is one of the elements generically called a micro machine (MEMS: Micro Electro-Mechanical System).

  On the other hand, recently, in the field of ultrasonic diagnostics, a diagnostic modality called harmonic imaging has come to the spotlight because it enables unprecedented high-accuracy ultrasonic diagnostics. Therefore, the standard equipment of this diagnostic modality has become indispensable. Therefore, for this reason, the frequency band of the conventional piezoelectric vibrator is insufficient, and further expansion of the bandwidth of the ultrasonic vibrator has been desired.

  As described above, a capacitive ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) using a micromachine process has recently attracted attention. Needless to say, this cMUT does not contain a heavy metal such as lead and is not only environmentally friendly, but also easily obtains broadband characteristics, and is therefore suitable for the above-described harmonic imaging.

  FIG. 23 shows an example of a conventional cMUT. The figure is a cMUT disclosed in Patent Document 1. The ultrasonic transducer is formed by a plurality of capacitive micromachine ultrasonic transducers (cMUT). Each cell constituting the cMUT has a charged diaphragm 301. The charged vibration plate 301 faces the oppositely charged substrate 302 with capacitance.

  The diaphragm 301 is bent toward the substrate 302 by bias charging. In addition, the substrate 302 has a central portion 303 that is raised with respect to the center of the diaphragm 301 so that the charge of the cell has the maximum density at the center of vibration of the diaphragm 301. The drive pulse waveform fed to the cell is distorted in advance for operation by harmonics. This is done in view of the non-linear operation of the apparatus in order to reduce the distortion of the transmitted ultrasonic signal in the harmonic band.

  Since the cMUT cell is processed by a conventional semiconductor process, it can be integrated with an auxiliary vibrator circuit such as the bias charge regulator 201. The cMUT cell can also be processed by microstereolithography. As such, the cells are formed using a variety of polymers and other materials.

  This ultrasonic observation apparatus is provided with a high voltage switch in the ultrasonic probe in order to operate by harmonics. In the ultrasonic observation apparatus, there are provided pulse generation means and control means. The pulse generating means can output a pulse having an arbitrary voltage value with an arbitrary waveform. The control means controls the outputs of the high voltage switch and the pulse generating means based on the scanning timing of the ultrasonic transducer.

  In recent years, capsule-type endoscopes in which a capsule portion configured for medical use is sent into a body cavity to obtain an image inside the body cavity have been put into practical use (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). With this ultrasonic diagnostic medical capsule, it is possible to perform ultrasonic diagnosis of a portion that is difficult to diagnose with an ultrasonic probe.

JP-T-2004-503313 JP 2004-350705 A JP 2004-350704 A

Murakami et al., “Study on Surface Stereolithography Using Grayscale Mask Exposure”, Proceedings of the 11th Design Engineering System Division Conference of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Takamatsu, November 5, 2001, pp. 39-pp. 42 Yasuhiro Sato et al., “High-precision microlens fabrication technology and its application to beam shaping elements”, Richard Technical Report No. 1 29, December 2003, pp. 13-pp. 20

  However, as shown in FIG. 23, the membrane has a curved shape due to the electrostatic force between the electrodes, and the charge on the upper electrode facing the lower electrode is biased. In other words, the central portion of the curved membrane is more bent and becomes closer to the lower electrode, so that a large amount of electric charge is collected and the electric flux density is high. Further, since the entire membrane is curved, the electric flux is not uniform on the upper electrode side facing the lower electrode, and the direction of the electric flux is also bent with the curvature of the upper electrode.

  For this reason, non-linearity occurs between the driving voltage and the bending displacement, and the vibration sound source includes a high-frequency component from the beginning. Therefore, it has been difficult to generate a transmission ultrasonic wave having a large transmission sound pressure and no harmonic component as a transducer characteristic.

  On the other hand, the term harmonic component is sometimes used in the sense of a higher-order standing wave rather than a nonlinear harmonic. Since these harmonics are transmitted from the sound source, if these harmonics are not suppressed, imaging using non-linear harmonics will be adversely affected (higher-order harmonic components originally generated in the sound source are included in the sound source). This makes it impossible to distinguish between standing waves and causes a large S / N reduction factor in the case of harmonic imaging.

  The higher-order standing wave component is generated at a frequency that is an integral multiple of the fundamental wave, but the vibration source (sound source) is made of a uniform length and thickness, a homogeneous material, and the vibration part and non-vibration part. For example, it is assumed that the boundary with the membrane support is acoustically clear. If this is not the case (such as a region that is likely to be elastically deformed and a region that is not, etc.), higher-order standing waves will be dispersed and suppressed, or generated at places that are not integer multiples. No negative effect on imaging.

  In view of the above problems, in the present invention, an area that is not easily elastically deformed is formed near the center of the membrane, an area that is easily elastically deformed is formed around the membrane, and the electric flux between the electrodes is perpendicular to the electrodes near the center. A capacitive ultrasonic transducer and a method for manufacturing the same are provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a capacitive ultrasonic transducer and an acoustic lens arranged in the ultrasonic transmission direction of the capacitive ultrasonic transducer. Between the capacitive ultrasonic transducer and the acoustic lens, and a housing that supports the acoustic lens so that the capacitive ultrasonic transducer and the acoustic lens are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. And an ultrasonic medium. This can be achieved by providing an ultrasonic endoscope.

  By constructing a region that is less likely to be elastically deformed near the center of the membrane and a region that is likely to be elastically deformed near the periphery of the membrane, the electric flux between the electrodes is perpendicular to the electrode surface near the center, and the applied voltage and displacement Non-linearity does not occur between the two and the membrane, and the entire membrane can be displaced greatly.

The conceptual diagram of the cMUT cell in 1st Embodiment is shown. It is a figure explaining the ultrasonic endoscope apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The cross section of the cMUT vibrator | oscillator element which has arrange | positioned the groove | channel row | line in 1st Embodiment on the membrane upper surface is shown. The cross section of the cMUT vibrator | oscillator element which has arrange | positioned the groove | channel row | line in 1st Embodiment on the membrane lower surface is shown. The cross section of the cMUT vibrator | oscillator element which has arrange | positioned the groove | channel row | line in 1st Embodiment in the membrane upper and lower surfaces is shown. 2 shows a cross section of a cMUT transducer element in which groove rows in the first embodiment are arranged on the upper surface of a membrane and a sacrificial layer removal hole is provided in a part of the membrane. The cross section of the cMUT vibrator element in which the groove row in the first embodiment is disposed on the upper surface of the membrane, one opening of the sacrificial layer removal hole is provided on the cavity side wall, and the other opening is provided on the membrane support surface. Indicates. 2 shows a cross section of a cMUT transducer element in which a groove row in the first embodiment is arranged on the lower surface of the membrane and a sacrificial layer removal hole is provided on the surface of the membrane support portion. The groove row in the first embodiment is arranged on the upper surface of the membrane, one opening of the sacrificial layer removal hole is provided on the cavity side wall, the other opening is provided on the surface of the membrane support, and the groove row is further formed on the lower surface of the membrane. 2 shows a cross section of a cMUT transducer element in which is formed. FIG. 7 shows a top view of the cMUT cell of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 shows a top view of the cMUT cell of FIG. 8 shows a manufacturing process (No. 1) of the cMUT vibrator of FIG. 8 shows a manufacturing process (No. 2) of the cMUT vibrator of FIG. 8 shows a manufacturing process (No. 3) of the cMUT vibrator of FIG. 7; 9 shows a manufacturing process of the cMUT vibrator of FIG. The cMUT (the 1) in 2nd Embodiment is shown. The cMUT (the 2) in 2nd Embodiment is shown. FIG. 17 shows a manufacturing process (No. 1) of the cMUT of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a production process (No. 2) of the cMUT of FIG. The external structure of the packaged cMUT in the third embodiment is shown. The cMUT which provided the convex-shaped acoustic lens above the membrane in 3rd Embodiment is shown. The cMUT which provided the concave-shaped acoustic lens above the membrane in 3rd Embodiment is shown. An example of a conventional cMUT is shown.

<First Embodiment>
In this embodiment, a region that is not easily elastically deformed is formed near the center of the membrane, a region that is easily elastically deformed around the membrane, the electric flux between the electrodes is perpendicular to the electrodes in the vicinity of the center, A cMUT suitable for harmonic imaging, which has a structure in which the entire membrane undergoes a large displacement and does not cause nonlinearity in the relationship between the drive voltage and the displacement, that is, does not include harmonic components, will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram of a cMUT cell in the present embodiment. The membrane 201 of the cMUT cell 200 is curved (curved portion 202) in the vicinity of the membrane support portion 204, and has a planar shape at the membrane central portion 203. The curved portion 202 is formed so that the membrane is easily elastically deformed by forming a concentric groove row in the vicinity of the circumference of the membrane.

  In this way, by forming an area that is not easily elastically deformed near the center of the membrane and an area that is easily elastically deformed near the end of the membrane, the electric flux between the electrodes is perpendicular to the electrode surface in the vicinity of the center. Furthermore, a large bending vibration displacement can be performed as a whole membrane.

Now, embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasonic endoscope apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic endoscope apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes an ultrasonic endoscope (hereinafter abbreviated as an endoscope) 2, an endoscope observation apparatus 3, and an ultrasonic observation apparatus 4. And the monitor 5.

  The ultrasonic endoscope (hereinafter abbreviated as “endoscope”) 2 includes an electrostatic ultrasonic transducer described later. The endoscope observation apparatus 3 performs driving of a light source unit (not shown) for supplying illumination light and an image pickup device (not shown) and various kinds of signal processing of an electric signal transmitted from the image pickup device, for an endoscope observation image. A signal processing unit for generating a video signal is provided.

  The ultrasonic observation apparatus 4 performs signal processing for generating a video signal for an ultrasonic tomographic image by driving the electrostatic ultrasonic transducer and performing various signal processing of electric signals transmitted from the electrostatic ultrasonic transducer. A part. The monitor 5 displays an image for observation based on the video signal generated by the ultrasonic observation device 4 and the endoscope observation device 3.

  The endoscope 2 includes an insertion unit 11, an operation unit 12, and a universal cord 13. The insertion portion 11 is an elongated portion that is inserted into a body cavity. The operation unit 12 is located on the proximal end side of the insertion unit 11. The universal cord extends from the side of the operation unit 12.

  An endoscope connector 14 connected to the endoscope observation apparatus 3 is provided at the base end portion of the universal cord 13. An illumination connector 14 a connected to the light source portion of the endoscope observation apparatus 3 is provided at the distal end portion of the endoscope connector 14. On the side of the endoscope connector 14, an electrical connector 14a to which an electrical cord (not shown) that is electrically connected to the signal processing unit is detachably connected is provided.

Further, an ultrasonic cable 15 having an ultrasonic connector 15 a electrically connected to the ultrasonic observation device 4 extends from the proximal end portion of the endoscope connector 14.
The insertion portion 11 includes a distal end portion 6, a bending portion 7, and a flexible tube portion 8 in order from the distal end side. The tip portion 6 is formed of a hard member. The bending portion 7 is a freely bendable portion that is connected to the proximal end side of the distal end portion 6. The flexible tube portion 8 is a portion having a small diameter, a long length, and flexibility that is connected to the proximal end side of the bending portion 7 and reaches the distal end side of the operation portion 12.

  The distal end portion 6 is provided with an endoscope observation portion 20 and an ultrasonic observation unit 21. The endoscopic observation unit 20 includes an observation optical unit and an illumination optical unit that perform endoscopic observation by direct viewing. In the ultrasonic observation unit 31, an ultrasonic scanning surface is formed by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves.

  The operation unit 12 is provided with an angle knob 16, an air / water supply button 17a, a suction button 17b, a treatment instrument insertion port 18, various operation switches 19, and the like. The angle knob 16 controls the bending of the bending portion 7. The air / water supply button 17a is a button for performing air supply and water supply operations.

  The suction button 17b is a button for performing a suction operation. The treatment instrument insertion port 18 is a portion serving as an entrance for a treatment instrument introduced into a body cavity. The various operation switches 19 are switches for various operations for switching display images to be displayed on the monitor 5 and giving instructions such as freeze and release. Reference numeral 9 denotes a mouthpiece placed in the oral cavity of the patient.

  An ultrasonic observation unit 21 for performing ultrasonic observation is disposed on the distal end side of the distal end portion 6. In addition, a slope portion is formed in the endoscope observation portion 20 of the distal end portion 6. An illumination lens cover that constitutes an illumination optical unit that irradiates the observation site with illumination light, an observation lens cover that constitutes an observation optical unit that captures an optical image of the observation site, and the treatment instrument insertion port 18 are introduced into the inclined surface portion. A forceps outlet, which is an opening through which the treatment tool protrudes, is provided.

  The ultrasonic observation unit 21 is mainly composed of a capacitive ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and a housing portion in which the ultrasonic transducer is housed and attached and fixed to the distal end portion 6. Has been.

  The capacitive ultrasonic transducer cMUT is obtained by processing a silicon semiconductor substrate using silicon micromachining technology. The capacitive ultrasonic transducer is automatically manufactured faithfully and automatically according to the operation sequence in a completely clean environment by a silicon process.

  The capacitive ultrasonic transducer is composed of a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements (or simply “elements”), which are minimum units for inputting and outputting drive control signals. This element is composed of an oscillator of a unit called an oscillator cell (or simply called “cell”). As will be described later, the cell refers to a group of elements constituting one cavity (gap).

Hereinafter, a capacitive ultrasonic transducer in which a groove row is formed on one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the membrane will be described.
FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a cMUT transducer element in which the groove rows in the present embodiment are arranged on the upper surface of the membrane. In the figure, a capacitive ultrasonic transducer element 31 includes a silicon substrate 32, a lower electrode 33, a dielectric film 34, a membrane support 35, a membrane 36, a cavity (gap) 40, an upper electrode 39, and a ground side. The electrode pad 37, the diffusion layer 38, the signal input / output terminal electrode pad 41, the substrate through hole 42, the substrate through hole wiring 42a, the conduction hole (via hole) 43, the via hole wiring 44, and the groove array 45 are configured.

The membrane 36 is a vibrating membrane whose end is fixed by the membrane support 35. One of the components of the membrane 36 includes an upper electrode 39. A lower electrode 33 is formed on the upper surface of the silicon substrate 32, and a dielectric film 39 (for example, SiO ₂ ) is formed thereon. A groove row 45 is provided on the upper surface side of the membrane 36.

  The signal input / output terminal electrode pad 43 provided on the bottom surface of the silicon substrate 32 is electrically connected to the lower electrode 33 by the substrate through-hole wiring 42 a provided on the surface of the substrate through-hole 42. The bottom surface of the silicon substrate 42 is coated with a silicon oxide film 42a.

  The upper electrode 39 is electrically connected to the via hole wiring 44 of the via hole 43. The ground side electrode pad 37 is a pad for electrically connecting the via hole wiring 44 formed in the via hole 43 to the bottom surface of the silicon substrate 32 in order to connect the upper electrode 39 to the GND.

  The dielectric film 34 is for increasing the capacitance between the upper electrode 39 and the lower electrode 33 with the cavity 40 interposed therebetween. The diffusion layer 38 is a layer in which almost no electrons or holes exist.

  The cavity 40 is a space surrounded by the membrane 36, the membrane support 35, the lower electrode 33, and the dielectric film 34. Further, as described above, a portion 60 surrounded by a broken line in the drawing is called a cell. The membrane 36 is composed of a plurality of membrane films in the manufacturing process, as will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The silicon substrate 32 has a structure in which an ohmic contact is realized between the electrode and the silicon substrate by forming the diffusion layer 38, and the upper electrode 39 is electrically connected to the ground electrode pad 37.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the capacitive ultrasonic transducer 31 will be described. When a voltage is applied to a pair of electrodes of the upper electrode 39 and the lower electrode 33, the electrodes are pulled together, and when the voltage is reduced to 0, the original state is restored. As a result of the vibration of the membrane 36 by this vibration operation, an ultrasonic wave is generated, and the ultrasonic wave is irradiated upward in the membrane.

  FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the cMUT transducer element in which the groove rows in the present embodiment are arranged on the lower surface of the membrane. In the figure, a groove row 46 is provided on the lower surface side of the membrane 36. Other structures are the same as those in FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the cMUT transducer element in which the groove rows in the present embodiment are arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the membrane. In the figure, groove rows 45 and 46 are provided on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the membrane 36, respectively. Other structures are the same as those in FIG.

  3 to 5, two groove rows are formed at both ends of the membrane, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any number may be used. Further, in FIG. 5, the positions of the groove rows 45 and 46 are aligned vertically, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be relatively shifted. The same applies to cMUT described below.

  FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a cMUT vibrator element in which the groove rows in the present embodiment are arranged on the upper surface of the membrane and the sacrificial layer removal hole is provided in a part of the membrane. The sacrificial layer removal hole 47 is a hole provided when the cavity 40 is formed in the manufacturing process.

  FIG. 7 shows a cMUT vibrator element in which the groove rows in the present embodiment are arranged on the upper surface of the membrane, one opening of the sacrificial layer removal hole is provided on the cavity side wall, and the other opening is provided on the surface of the membrane support. The cross section of is shown. In the figure, a sacrificial layer removal hole 48 inclined from the upper portion 49 of the membrane support portion 35 toward the side surface 50 of the cavity 40 is provided.

  In such a structure, since the sacrificial layer removal hole 48 is not provided in the membrane region, it is difficult to affect the vibration of the membrane. Further, in order to close the sacrificial layer removal hole, a film is formed from the upper surface with a sacrificial layer removal hole closing member (SiN) or the like. At this time, the sacrificial layer removal hole closing member enters the cavity 40 from the sacrifice layer removal hole. There is a risk of deposition in the cavity 40. However, if the sacrificial layer removal hole is inclined as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to prevent the sacrificial layer removal hole blocking member from being directly volumed inside the cavity 40.

  FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the cMUT transducer element in which the groove rows in the present embodiment are arranged on the lower surface of the membrane and the sacrificial layer removal hole is provided on the surface of the membrane support portion. A groove array 46 and a sacrificial layer removal hole 47 are provided on the lower surface of the membrane.

  In FIG. 9, the groove row in the present embodiment is arranged on the upper surface of the membrane, one opening of the sacrificial layer removal hole is provided on the cavity side wall, the other opening is provided on the membrane support surface, and further on the lower surface of the membrane. A cross section of a cMUT transducer element in which a groove array is formed is shown. In FIG. 9, as described in 3, the groove row 46 is formed on the lower surface of the membrane 36. Further, as described with reference to FIG. 7, a sacrificial layer removal hole 48 that is inclined from the upper portion 49 of the membrane support portion 35 toward the side surface 50 of the cavity 40 is provided.

6-9, the number of sacrificial layer removal holes 47, 48 is not limited to this embodiment, and any number may be used.
FIG. 10 shows a top view of the cMUT cell of FIG. FIG. 10 shows the top surface of the cell 70 in the portion surrounded by the broken line in FIG. The upper electrode film 39 constitutes an upper electrode 39a and an upper electrode connection wiring 39b. As shown in the figure, the groove row 45 is formed in a concentric arc shape on the peripheral edge of the membrane. Accordingly, the portion where the groove rows are accumulated is easily deformed and thus easily bent. The sacrificial layer removal hole 47 is formed on the membrane.

  A center region 71 of the membrane of the cell 70 is a region of the membrane in which no groove array is formed, and indicates a region that is relatively difficult to elastically deform. The diameter of the upper electrode that actually functions as the upper electrode corresponding to the lower electrode is substantially equal to the diameter of this region 71.

  FIG. 11 shows a top view of the cMUT cell of FIG. FIG. 11 shows the top surface of the cell 70 in the portion surrounded by the broken line in FIG. Reference numeral 48 a denotes a sacrifice layer removal hole opening of the sacrifice layer removal hole 48.

  A region 81 in the center of the membrane of the cell 80 is a region of the membrane in which no groove row is formed, and indicates a region that is relatively difficult to elastically deform. The diameter of the upper electrode that actually functions as the upper electrode corresponding to the lower electrode is substantially equal to the diameter of the region 81.

  As shown in the figure, the groove row 45 is formed in a concentric arc shape on the end side of the membrane. Accordingly, the portion where the groove rows are accumulated is easily deformed and thus easily bent. An opening 48 a at one end of the sacrificial layer removal hole 48 is formed on the membrane support portion 35.

  10 and 11, the membrane has a disk shape, and an easily deformable area (groove row portion) is arranged at the peripheral edge of the disk, and a relatively difficult to deform area is at the center of the disk. Has been placed. In addition, the easily deformable region (groove row portion) disposed at the peripheral edge portion is easily deformed in the radial direction and is difficult to deform in the circumferential direction.

  The groove row portion that is easily deformed in the radial direction and is difficult to deform in the circumferential direction is at least one groove row formed concentrically. When viewed from above the membrane, the concentrically arranged groove rows have a shape like a broken-line circle. That is, a plurality of arcs are formed concentrically.

  In this embodiment, there are a plurality of arcs having the same diameter, forming a circle on the broken line, and a plurality of concentric circles having different diameters on the broken line. Although the row is formed, the present invention is not limited to this, and any shape may be used as long as the row of grooves is formed in the vicinity of the end of the membrane. For example, when the membrane is viewed from above, a plurality of circular groove rows having different diameters may be provided concentrically. Further, the shape of the cross section of the groove row is not limited to the concave shape, and may be, for example, a V shape or a U shape. That is, it is only necessary to be relatively easily deformed with respect to the central portion of the membrane.

12 to 14 show a manufacturing process of the cMUT vibrator of FIG. First, the upper surface of the low resistance N-type silicon substrate 90 (thickness: about 100 to 500 μm) is masked with an oxide film (SiO ₂ ). For the mask formation, an oxide film having a thickness of about 3000 to 4000 mm is formed by a wet oxidation method. Then, patterning for forming the lower electrode through-hole electrode portion 91 is performed in the photolithography process, and the oxide film patterned in the etching process is removed.

  Next, ICP-RIE (Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching) is performed to open a through hole 91 in an unmasked portion.

Next, the diffusion layer 92 is formed on both surfaces of the silicon substrate 90 (S1). The portions other than the portion where the diffusion layer 92 is formed are masked with SiO ₂ by the mask formation step, the photolithography step, and the etching step. Then, N-type diffusion layers are formed by implanting N-type ions into the unmasked portion and performing heat treatment. This is performed for predetermined positions on both sides of the silicon substrate 90.

  Next, an insulating film 93 is formed on the entire surface of the silicon substrate 90 (including the wall surface in the through hole 91) (S2). Next, a part of the insulating film 93 covering the diffusion layer 92 is removed to form a substrate rear side contact via hole 94. After that, a metal film is provided on the hole wall surface of the substrate back side contact via hole 94 and its peripheral portion to form a contact electrode pad 95.

  Next, an electrode film (Pt / Ti) 96 is formed around the insulating film 93 (upper surface side), the inner wall of the through-hole 91 and the opening below the through-hole (S3). The material of the electrode is not limited to Pt / Ti, but may be Au / Cr, Mo, W, phosphor bronze, Al or the like.

Next, a dielectric film 97 (SrTiO ₃ ) is formed on the electrode film 96 by means such as sputtering or CVD (S3). The dielectric film 97 is not limited to SrTiO ₃ , but is made of a high material such as SiN, barium titanate BaTiO ₃ , barium strontium titanate, tantalum pentoxide, niobium oxide stabilized tantalum pentoxide, aluminum oxide, or titanium oxide TiO _2. A material having a dielectric constant may be used. In any case, film formation by sputtering or CVD is possible.

  Next, the membrane support layer 98 is formed (S4). After masking the portion other than the portion for forming the membrane support portion, a SiN layer is formed by CVD, and the mask is removed. As a result, a membrane support 98 is formed.

Next, the upper surfaces of the membrane support portion 98 and the insulating film 97 are filled with polysilicon as a sacrificial layer 99 (S4). In this embodiment, polysilicon is used for the sacrificial layer, but there is no particular limitation as long as the member can be etched, such as SiO ₂ .

  Next, a surface flattening process is performed in order to align the sacrificial layer 99 with the height of the membrane support 98 (S5). In the surface planarization process, for example, an extra sacrificial layer is removed by polishing or ion etching.

Next, a SiN film is formed as the sacrificial layer sealing film 100 on the planarized surface (S6). The sacrificial layer sealing film 100 is a film that later becomes the lowermost layer of the membrane.
Next, the sacrificial layer removal hole 101 is formed (S7). Here, the sacrificial layer removal hole 101 is formed from the portion of the sacrificial layer sealing film 100 corresponding to the upper portion of the membrane support portion 98 toward the portion filled with the sacrificial layer 99 (the portion that will later become a cavity). For example, the silicon substrate 90 after the process of S6 is tilted, and ion etching is performed from the upper surface of the membrane support portion 98 toward the portion filled with the sacrificial layer 99 (the portion that will later become a cavity).

Next, the sacrificial layer 99 is removed by etching (S8). In this embodiment, since poly-Si is used for the sacrifice layer, the sacrifice layer 99 is removed from the sacrifice layer removal hole 101 by etching using XeF ₂ as an etcher. Then, the cavity 102 is formed.

Next, a sacrificial layer removal hole blocking film (SiN film) 103 is formed to close the sacrificial layer removal hole 101 (S9). Further, a groove 104 is formed by etching to expose the diffusion layer 92.
Next, an electrode film (upper electrode) 105 is formed on the upper surface of the element and on the inner wall and bottom of the groove 104 (S10). Next, a groove forming resist 106 is formed on the membrane. The groove forming resist 106 is provided on both ends of the membrane (on the membrane support portion side) (S11).

  Next, the gap protective resist 106 is filled with an electrode protective film 107. Then, planarization is performed to make the height of the electrode protective film 107 the same as that of the groove forming resist (S12). Then, the groove forming resist 106 is removed (S13). As a result, the groove row 108 is formed.

  In this embodiment, in the formation of the electrode film (and the contact layer), that is, in the process of forming the electrode in the groove (conducting process), ion implantation or CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) is used. Diffusion treatment or PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) is performed.

  FIG. 15 shows a manufacturing process of the cMUT vibrator of FIG. First, steps S1 to S5 described above are performed. Next, the groove array forming sacrificial layer pattern 110 is formed at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the sacrificial layer 99 (S5-2). The groove array forming sacrificial layer pattern 110 is made of the same material as the sacrificial layer 99. Next, the gap between the groove row forming sacrificial layer patterns 110 is filled with the membrane groove forming layer 111 (SiN film). Then, planarization is performed to make the height of the membrane groove forming layer 111 the same as that of the groove row forming sacrificial layer pattern 110 (S5-3).

  Next, the SiN layer 112 is formed (S6-1). Then, as in S7, a sacrificial layer etching hole 114 is formed, and the sacrificial layer 99 and the groove array forming sacrificial layer pattern 110 are removed by etching (S8-1). Then, the cavity 113 is formed. Thereafter, the steps after S9 are performed.

  In the present embodiment, the method for manufacturing the cMUTs of FIGS. 7 and 8 has been described as an example, but the cMUTs of other drawings can be manufactured in the same manner. In addition, what is necessary is just to combine FIGS. 12-15, also when providing a groove | channel row | line in the upper and lower surfaces of a membrane, respectively.

  From the above, by constructing an area that is not easily elastically deformed near the center of the membrane and an area that is easily elastically deformed near the end of the membrane, the electric flux between the electrodes becomes perpendicular to the electrode surface near the center. In addition, the entire membrane can be greatly displaced. Therefore, in ultrasonic transmission, the transmission pressure increases and does not include harmonic components.

  In addition, by providing a sacrificial layer removal hole opened at one end with a cavity and at the other end with a membrane support, the sacrificial layer removal hole does not affect the vibration of the membrane, and the material that closes the sacrificial layer removal hole is contained in the cavity. Can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cMUT according to the present embodiment can also be used in a capsule ultrasonic endoscope. . In this embodiment, the membrane has a substantially circular shape when viewed from above, but is not limited thereto, and may be a polygonal shape, an elliptical shape, or the like.

<Second Embodiment>
In this embodiment, a cMUT in which an elastic body having at least one surface inclined with respect to the membrane is formed on the upper surface of the membrane will be described. Note that the cMUT in the present embodiment is not limited to the ultrasonic endoscope apparatus, as in the first embodiment, and may be mounted on a capsule ultrasonic endoscope.

  FIG. 16 shows a cMUT (part 1) in the present embodiment. FIG. 16 shows a cMUT in which a dome-shaped elastic body 120 having at least one surface inclined with respect to the membrane is formed on the upper surface of the membrane.

  In this cMUT, a dome-shaped deposit (elastic body 120) is formed at the center of the circular shape (inside the groove row 45) of the membrane 36 of the cMUT shown in FIG. The elastic body 120 is made of, for example, SiO, SiN, or polysilicon, but is not limited thereto. The sacrificial layer removal hole is omitted.

  The elastic body 120 is formed on the inner side (membrane center portion) than the groove row in consideration of the first embodiment. This is because if the elastic body is formed on the outer side (membrane end side) of the groove row or the groove row, the groove row portion is prevented from being elastically deformed. Furthermore, by forming the elastic body on the inner side (membrane center portion) than the groove row, it is possible to make the region near the membrane center portion in the first embodiment less susceptible to elastic deformation.

  By using the cMUT shown in FIG. 16, the membrane surface from which the ultrasonic beam is emitted can be a point sound source instead of a surface sound source. The synthesized wavefront of the ultrasonic wave from the point sound source can be a clean plane wave because the phases at the synthesized wavefront are aligned. However, the synthesized wave of the ultrasonic wave from the surface sound source may be a distorted synthesized wavefront because the phases at the synthesized wavefront may not be aligned. When the combined wavefront is converged by an acoustic lens or the like, the resultant ultrasonic image is also distorted, resulting in an image having a poor S / N.

  FIG. 17 shows cMUT (part 2) in the present embodiment. In FIG. 17, elastic bodies 131 and 132 are formed on the upper surface of the membrane 36 so as to be inclined with respect to the membrane. The elastic bodies 131 and 132 are made of, for example, SiO, SiN, or polysilicon, but are not limited thereto.

In the figure, the upper surfaces of the elastic bodies 131 and 132 have slopes inclined by θ ₁ and θ _{2 with} respect to the vertical direction, respectively. In this case, when a voltage is applied between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, the membrane 36 vibrates and an ultrasonic beam is emitted from the membrane surface (in this case, the surfaces of the inclined surfaces of the elastic bodies 131 and 132). At this time, the ultrasonic beam is emitted in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surfaces of the elastic bodies 131 and 132. The inclination angles θ ₁ and θ ₂ of the elastic bodies are adjusted so that the ultrasonic beams emitted from the elastic bodies 131 and 132 are converged to one point.

As a result, when the ultrasonic beam is focused, the beam width at the acoustic focal point becomes narrower and the sensitivity becomes higher.
The cMUT in FIG. 16 leads to an improvement in the spatial resolution of the ultrasonic image, and the cMUT in FIG. 17 leads to an improvement in the luminance of the image.

  18 and 19 show the manufacturing process of the cMUT shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a cMUT in which a hemisphere is formed on the upper surface of the membrane is manufactured by a method using a gray scale mask (for example, Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2). In this method, the resist shape can be controlled by the transmittance distribution given to the mask.

  This method is composed of two major processes: resist pattern formation by photolithography using a gray scale mask and transfer of the resist pattern to the substrate by anisotropic dry etching.

  First, the design data of the dome-shaped structure is converted into the shape of a photoresist pattern. In this step, the shape of the resist is set so that the shape of the dome-shaped structure to be manufactured is corrected in consideration of the shape change during etching, and the desired shape is obtained after etching.

  The shape change at the time of etching depends on the type of etching apparatus, the etching gas, the material of the substrate, and the like. Here, an etching model for estimating the shape change at the time of etching is set and used.

  Next, the transmittance distribution of the gray scale mask is determined according to the resist pattern design data, and the mask is manufactured. This gray scale mask is an area gradation type mask in which a large number of minute opening patterns are arranged and the transmittance is adjusted according to the area ratio of the opening portion and the light shielding portion. On the other hand, it is of course possible to use a gray scale mask formed by changing the concentration of the light shielding particles in the mask so that the transmittance is changed stepwise in the mask.

  In the photolithography process, the transmittance distribution on the mask and the intensity distribution of the light irradiated to the resist are shifted depending on the exposure apparatus. Therefore, photolithography is set to estimate the influence of the exposure apparatus, and the mask Used to determine transmission distribution. In this specification, a detailed description of the photolithography model is omitted, but the model is based on a response function when the light irradiated on the mask pattern is exposed on the resist through the optical system of the exposure apparatus. Is used. The resist pattern is exposed using the produced photomask, and the resist shape is transferred to the substrate by anisotropic dry etching to complete the dome-shaped structure.

  In the present embodiment, through the steps described in the first embodiment, the groove array is filled with the photoresist 145, and a dome-shaped elastic precursor layer (for example, SiO, SiN, polysilicon, or the like) is formed thereon. ) Create a cMUT with 144 formed. A photoresist layer 143 is formed on the dome-shaped elastic precursor layer 144.

  The photoresist layer 143 is irradiated with parallel ultraviolet light 141 through the gray scale mask 142 described above (S21). As described above, the transmittance distributions 142a and 142b are set in the gray scale mask 142. The gray scale mask 142 sets this transmittance distribution by adding silver. Depending on the density of silver, the transmittance of the parallel ultraviolet light 141 changes.

  Then, the resist pattern is exposed to the photoresist 143 based on the gray scale mask 142 (S22). At this time, a dome-shaped portion 143a and a planar portion 143b are formed in the photoresist 143.

  Thereafter, the shape of the resist pattern 143 is transferred to the dome-shaped elastic precursor layer 144 by anisotropic dry etching (S23). Then, the dome-shaped elastic body precursor layer 144 is gradually etched through the resist pattern 143. 144a indicates an etched portion. 144b indicates a portion formed by etching.

  At this time, the resist pattern 143 itself is actually gradually etched at the same time, but this state is omitted in FIGS. And if the shape of the dome-shaped structure elastic body used as object is formed, the etching of the dome-shaped structure elastic body precursor layer 144 will be complete | finished (S24).

  Finally, if the photoresist 143 and the resist 145 buried in the groove are removed, the cMUT of FIG. 16 is completed (S25). Note that the cMUT shown in FIG. 17 can be similarly formed by the method shown in FIGS.

  As described above, in the cMUT having a portion that is not easily bent and deformed at the center portion of the membrane and that is easily bent at the peripheral portion, the elastic structure is disposed so as to be in contact with the membrane, and the surface of the elastic structure is in contact with the membrane. An elastic structure having at least one inclined surface can be provided for each cell. The surface of the elastic structure may be a semi-curved surface. The shape of the structure to be disposed in contact with the membrane is not limited to the above structure, and the shape can be appropriately determined as necessary.

The cMUT according to the present embodiment can be manufactured by using a gray scale mask.
<Third Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the cMUT according to the second embodiment is mounted. In this embodiment, a cMUT in which an acoustic lens for focusing an ultrasonic beam is provided above the membrane will be described. In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic beam can be focused by an acoustic lens or the like with the same effect as the cMUT in FIG. Note that the cMUT in the present embodiment is not limited to the ultrasonic endoscope apparatus, as in the first embodiment, and may be mounted on a capsule ultrasonic endoscope.

  FIG. 20 shows the external structure of the packaged cMUT in this embodiment. In this package, a cMUT chip in which all cMUT cells are connected in parallel is mounted, and an example of the cMUT cell structure is the cMUT shown in the first or second embodiment, for example.

  In FIG. 20, the external structure of the packaged cMUT includes an acoustic lens 150, an epoxy seal 151, a metal package 152, a terminal watertight seal cover cylinder 153, and a coaxial cable 154.

  The acoustic lens 150 is for focusing the ultrasonic beam. The metal package 152 is a housing member for storing the cMUT. Hereinafter, the metal package 152 is referred to as a housing member. The epoxy seal 151 and the terminal watertight seal cover tube 153 are for supporting the terminal portion, covering the terminal portion, waterproofing, and the like. The coaxial cable 154 is for transmitting an ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic observation device 4 to the cMUT or transmitting an ultrasonic signal from the cMUT to the ultrasonic observation device 4.

Hereinafter, a cMUT in which the acoustic lens 150 has a convex shape or a concave shape will be described.
FIG. 21 shows a cMUT in which a convex acoustic lens is provided above the membrane in the present embodiment. The cMUT 155 is composed of a plurality of elements or arrays. The cMUT 155 is housed in the housing member 152, and a convex acoustic lens 150a (for example, made of silicone resin) is formed on a portion of the ceiling portion of the housing member that is above the ultrasonic radiation surface of the membrane. It is provided.

  When a voltage is applied to the cMUT 155, the membrane of each cell vibrates, and an ultrasonic beam is emitted in a direction perpendicular to the membrane surface. That is, an ultrasonic beam is radiated from the membrane of each cell, which is an ultrasonic radiation surface, in parallel in the upward direction of the figure. When these ultrasonic beams pass through the acoustic lens 150a, as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 22 shows a cMUT in which a concave acoustic lens is provided above the membrane in the present embodiment. The cMUT 155 is composed of a plurality of elements or arrays. The cMUT 155 is housed in a housing member 152, and a concave acoustic lens 150b (for example, an epoxy resin or the like) is formed on a portion of the ceiling portion of the housing member 152 over the ultrasonic radiation surface of the membrane. ) Is provided.

  When a voltage is applied to the cMUT 155, the membrane of each cell vibrates, and an ultrasonic beam is emitted in a direction perpendicular to the membrane surface. That is, an ultrasonic beam is radiated from the membrane of each cell, which is an ultrasonic radiation surface, in parallel in the upward direction of the figure. When these ultrasonic beams pass through the acoustic lens 150b, they are converged at one point as shown in FIG.

  If the speed of sound passing through the material of the acoustic lens is lower than the speed of sound passing through water, a convex acoustic lens is used. When the speed of sound passing through the material of the acoustic lens is greater than the speed of sound passing through water, a concave acoustic lens is used.

  In the first to third embodiments, an ultrasonic probe including an array of a plurality of capacitive ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in an array is used as an ultrasonic endoscope device or a capsule ultrasonic device. You may mount in an endoscope.

  As described above, the spatial resolution can be improved by focusing the ultrasonic beam. Moreover, the shape of the acoustic lens can be made concave or convex depending on the material. Note that the inside of the housing member 152 needs to be filled with an acoustic propagation medium. For this purpose, the housing cap portion needs to be provided with a hole for promoting the inflow and outflow of the acoustic propagation medium.

200 cMUT cell 201 Membrane 202 Bending part 203 Membrane center part 204 Membrane support part 1 Ultrasound endoscope apparatus 2 Ultrasound endoscope 3 Endoscope observation apparatus 4 Ultrasound observation apparatus 5 Monitor 31 Capacitive ultrasonic vibration Child element 32 Silicon substrate 33 Lower electrode 34 Dielectric film 35 Membrane support portion 36 Membrane 37 Ground side electrode pad 38 Diffusion layer 39 Upper electrode 40 Cavity 41 Signal input / output terminal electrode pad 42 Substrate through hole 42a Substrate through hole wiring 43 Conducting hole (Via hall)
44 Via hole wiring 45, 46 Groove array 47, 48 Sacrificial layer removal hole 120, 131, 132 Elastic body 150 (150a, 150b) Acoustic lens 152 Metal package (housing member)
155 cMUT

Claims (1)

A capacitive ultrasonic transducer;
An acoustic lens disposed in the ultrasonic transmission direction of the capacitive ultrasonic transducer;
A housing that supports the acoustic lens such that the capacitive ultrasonic transducer and the acoustic lens are separated by a predetermined distance;
An ultrasonic medium filled between the capacitive ultrasonic transducer and the acoustic lens;
An ultrasonic endoscope comprising: