Manfred Dr Schnoeller

Method for the manufacture of an ultrasonics antenna array

A method for the manufacture of a linear or annular ultrasonics antenna array for the megahertz range, which consists in providing a laminate of alternating layers of unsintered ceramic and spacing layers, the spacing layers being composed of a filler material which is heat fugitive at the sintering temperature of the ceramic, the spacing material also including refractory grains distributed therein of a size which corresponds to the spacing desired between the ceramic layers, sintering the laminate to thereby liberate the filler material and leave voids between the refractory grains, impregnating the resulting laminate with a polymerizable resin to bond the sintered ceramic layers together, and separating the resulting laminate into individual transducer elements.