Patent Publication Number: US-2015087988-A1

Title: Ultrasound transducer arrays

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to ultrasound transducers, and more particularly to a system and method for assembling an ultrasound transducer array using electro-acoustic modules. 
     Ultrasound transducers are used extensively for ultrasound imaging of an object. Particularly, in a medical field, the ultrasound transducers are typically used to obtain a high quality image of a region within a patient. Further, this high quality image may be used for diagnosing the patient. 
     An ultrasound transducer typically includes transducer arrays that are generally used for transmission and reception of ultrasonic or acoustic waves. These acoustic waves are further processed to obtain the image of the object. In general, the transducer arrays may be flat transducer arrays or convex transducer arrays. The flat transducer arrays are commonly used in cardiac imaging while, the convex transducer arrays are used in other diagnostic applications, such as abdominal imaging. 
     In a conventional ultrasound transducer, the flat transducer arrays are formed by fabricating large arrays on a single substrate. However, this type of fabricating process includes additional steps, such as lamination and dicing of large parts, which further results in more scrap materials. This in turn increases the cost of the ultrasound transducers. 
     In addition, the convex transducer arrays are formed by fabricating a large array in a flat configuration and subsequently bending the large array into its final form. Typically, the large array is in direct contact with beam forming electronics or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Thus, while bending the large array, the beam forming electronics or ASIC are also bent along with the large array. Further, bending the beam forming electronics or ASIC may induce sufficient internal stresses, which in turn alters the ASIC functionality and/or reliability. Therefore, it is preferred to fabricate or form the convex transducer array without bending the electronics or ASICs. 
     Thus, there is need for an improved method and system for fabricating/assembling ultrasound transducer arrays. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment described herein, an ultrasound transducer array for an ultrasound probe is presented. The ultrasound transducer array includes a support structure. Further, the ultrasound transducer array includes a plurality of electro-acoustic modules coupled to the support structure, wherein each of the plurality of electro-acoustic modules comprises at least one matrix acoustic array and an interconnect element, wherein each of the plurality of electro-acoustic modules is interchangeable on the support structure so as to adapt to one or more shapes of the ultrasound probe, and wherein each of the plurality of electro-acoustic modules operates in a manner substantially identical to each other of the plurality of electro-acoustic modules. 
     In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, an electro-acoustic module for an ultrasound transducer array is presented. The electro-acoustic module includes a base unit including an acoustic backing and a heat sink, wherein the heat sink is configured to detachably couple to a support structure of the ultrasound transducer array. Further, the electro-acoustic module includes an ASIC layer individually coupled to the base unit. Also, the electro-acoustic module includes a flex interconnect disposed on the ASIC layer and electrically coupled to a circuit board. In addition, the electro-acoustic module includes a matrix acoustic array disposed on the flex interconnect and comprising a plurality of stack elements at least partially separated by a vertical gap, wherein at least one narrow stack element is positioned between two wide stack elements, wherein the at least one narrow stack element has a width extending horizontally between the vertical gaps that is lesser than a width of the wide stack elements. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a transducer array having electro-acoustic modules, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an electro-acoustic module, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the electro-acoustic module, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the transducer array depicting an enlarged portion of an acoustic array, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the electro-acoustic module, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of electro-acoustic modules assembled on a non-planar support structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross section of the electro-acoustic module, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a transducer array mounted on a convex support structure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  is a diagrammatical representation of the transducer array, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10  is a diagrammatical representation of an electro-acoustic module, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 11  is a diagrammatical representation of the transducer array, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure 
         FIG. 12  is a diagrammatical representation of an electro-acoustic module, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an ultrasound probe, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates an electro-acoustic module having one design of an elongated flex interconnect, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates an electro-acoustic module having another design of an elongated flex interconnect, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a side view of an electro-acoustic module illustrating elements of an acoustic array, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 17  illustrates a side view of an electro-acoustic module illustrating elements of an acoustic array, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 18  illustrates a side view of an electro-acoustic module illustrating elements of an acoustic array, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As will be described in detail hereinafter, various embodiments of ultrasound transducer arrays and methods for fabricating the same are presented. The transducer arrays may comprise electro-acoustic modules that are interchangeable and adaptable to a shape of an ultrasound probe. Also, the formation of these transducer arrays yields minimal scrap material, thus reducing the manufacturing cost of the ultrasound probe. Moreover, the transducer arrays can be assembled on a convex structure without bending the electronics or ASIC, which in turn improves the functionality and/or reliability of the ASIC. 
     Turning now to the drawings and referring to  FIG. 1 , a transducer array having electro-acoustic modules, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, is depicted. The transducer array  100  is typically used to transmit ultrasonic or acoustic waves towards an object (not shown in  FIG. 1 ). In response to transmitting the ultrasonic waves, the transducer array  100  may receive reflected or attenuated ultrasonic waves from the object. Further, these received ultrasonic waves are processed to obtain an ultrasonic image of the object. In one embodiment, the object may be a region of interest in a patient. 
     In a presently contemplated configuration, the transducer array  100  includes a support structure  102  and one or more electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  that are coupled to the support structure  102 . Each of these electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may be interchangeable on the support structure  102 , and thus, the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may not be required to be located in a particular position on the support structure  102 . Also, each of the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may be similar in size, which aids in easy extensibility, replaceablity, and/or flexibility during design and manufacture of an ultrasound probe. Moreover, the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may be tiled or aligned on a planar or non-planar portion of a support structure so as to adapt to a shape of an ultrasound probe. In addition, if one of these electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  is affected or damaged then it may be replaced by a new electro-acoustic module. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the transducer array  100  includes two electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  that are detachably coupled to a portion  101  of the support structure  102 . The portion  101  of the support structure  102  may be a planar structure that acts as a base or spine for the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106 . In one embodiment, the support structure  102  may be a non-planar structure, such as a convex structure. Further, the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may be smaller in size compared to the support structure  102 , which in turn aids in designing and manufacturing a desired ultrasound probe. For example, the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may be arranged on the support structure  102  to form a portable ultrasound probe. 
     In addition, the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may be arranged on one or more types of the support structure to conform to the shape of the ultrasound probe. For example, if the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  are arranged on a flat portion  101  of the support structure  102 , a flat transducer array may be formed. In another example, if the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  are arranged on a convex portion of the support structure, a convex transducer array may be formed (see  FIG. 8 ). In addition, the support structure  102  includes protruding members  108  and pins  110  that are used for coupling the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  to the support structure  102 . The aspect of coupling the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  to the support structure  102  is explained in greater detail with reference to  FIG. 3 . It should be noted that the transducer array  100  may include any number of electro-acoustic modules, and is not limited to the number of electro-acoustic modules shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Furthermore, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , each of the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  includes a matrix acoustic array  200 , a flex interconnect  202 , one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC)  204 , an acoustic backing  206 , and a heat sink  208 . The matrix acoustic array  200  is configured to send one or more acoustic waves towards the object. In response, the matrix acoustic array  200  may receive the reflected acoustic waves from the object. These acoustic waves may have a frequency in a range from about 0.5 MHz to about 25 MHz. In one embodiment, the matrix acoustic array  200  includes single or multiple rows of electrically and acoustically isolated transducer elements. Each of these transducer elements may be a layered structure including at least a piezoelectric layer and an acoustic matching layer. In one embodiment, the matrix acoustic array  200  may include micromachined ultrasound transducers, such as capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs) and/or piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs). 
     As will be appreciated, an electrical pulse is applied to electrodes of the piezoelectric layer, causing a mechanical change in the dimension of the piezoelectric layer. This in turn generates an acoustic wave that is transmitted towards the object. Further, when the acoustic waves are reflected back from the object, a voltage difference is generated across the electrodes that are then detected as a received signal. Thereafter, the received signal from each of the transducer elements in the acoustic array  200  is combined and processed by the ASIC  204 . 
     Moreover, the matrix acoustic array  200  is coupled to the flex interconnect  202  that is used for providing electrical connection between the acoustic array and signal processing electronics or circuit board (not shown in  FIG. 2 ) that is disposed within a body of the ultrasound probe. In one example, the flex interconnect  202  may be used to communicate the electrical pulses between the piezoelectric layer and the signal processing electronics. 
     Further, the ASIC  204  is coupled to the acoustic backing  206  and the heat sink  208 , as depicted in  FIG. 2 . The acoustic backing  206  may be configured to absorb and/or scatter the acoustic waves or energy that is transmitted in a direction away from the object being scanned. Particularly, the acoustic waves are generated by the piezoelectric layer. Further, a portion of the generated acoustic waves may be reflected from structures or interfaces behind the transducer array. These acoustic waves may combine with the acoustic waves that are reflected from the object, which in turn reduces the quality of the ultrasonic image of the object. 
     To avoid the above problem, the acoustic backing  206  may be positioned beneath the ASIC  204  to attenuate or absorb the acoustic waves that are propagated in the reverse direction to the object. In one example, the acoustic backing  206  may include acoustic backing materials that are combinations of a high-density acoustic scatterer, such as tungsten metal, and/or a soft acoustic absorbing material, such as silicone, in a matrix of an epoxy or a polyurethane. In another example, the backing material may comprise an epoxy filled graphite foam which has the added advantage of having a high thermal conductivity to draw heat away from the ASIC. Also, the heat sink  208  may be configured to absorb or dissipate the heat generated in the electro-acoustic module. In one embodiment, the heat sink  208  along with the acoustic backing  206  may be configured to absorb the heat generated in the electro-acoustic module. 
     In one embodiment, the heat sink  208  includes one or more apertures  302  on a bottom surface  306  of the heat sink  208 , as depicted in  FIG. 3 . The one or more apertures  302  are configured to receive protruding members  108  from the support structure  102  and in one embodiment the apertures  302  may be threaded. In one example, the protruding members  108  may include screws that are inserted into apertures  302  that are threaded for coupling the electro-acoustic module  104  to the support structure  102 . Also, the heat sink  208  includes one or more alignment apertures  308  on the bottom surface  306  for receiving one or more pins  110  from the support structure  102 . Particularly, while coupling the electro-acoustic module  104  to the support structure  102 , tool pins  110  on a top side of the support structure  102  are inserted into corresponding alignment apertures  308  on the bottom surface  306  of the heat sink  208 . Thereafter, the electro-acoustic module  104  may be adjusted to avoid any misalignment of the transducer array  100 . After adjusting or aligning the position of the electro-acoustic module  104  on the support structure  102 , the protruding members  108 , such as screws are inserted into the apertures  302  of the heat sink  208  to fasten the electro-acoustic module  104  to the support structure  102 . In another embodiment, the electro-acoustic module may include one or more protruding members and the support structure may include one or more apertures. Further, each of the protruding members may be inserted into a corresponding aperture to fasten and/or align the electro-acoustic module to the support structure. In yet another embodiment, the electro-acoustic module may be coupled to the support structure by using a glue film/layer between the electro-acoustic module and the support structure. Also, in one more embodiment, the support structure may have a receiving pocket shape that matches with a shape of the heat sink in the electro-acoustic module. Further, when the electro-acoustic module is placed on the support structure, the heat sink may be secured to the support structure so as to fasten the electro-acoustic module to the support structure. Additionally, in one other embodiment, the electro-acoustic modules may be magnetically coupled to the support structure. It may be noted that the electro-acoustic modules may be coupled to the support structure by using any similar fastening/coupling mechanism, and is not limited to the mechanism described above. 
     Thus, by using the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106 , the transducer array  100  may be assembled and conformed to the shape of the ultrasound probe. Also, the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may be easily adjusted on the support structure  102  to avoid any misalignment of the transducer array  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a side view of a transducer array  400  illustrating elements of an acoustic array, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, is depicted. For ease of understanding, the transducer array  400  is described with reference to the components of transducer array  100  of  FIGS. 1-3 . The transducer array  400  includes two electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  that are disposed adjacent to each other on a support structure  102 . Portions  401 ,  403  of these two electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  are enlarged to illustrate a structure of a matrix acoustic array  200 . Particularly, the enlarged portions  401 ,  403  depict the matrix acoustic array  200 , a flex interconnect  202 , and an ASIC  204 . 
     Further, the matrix acoustic array  200  includes acoustic elements  402  that are separated by a vertical gap  404 , as depicted in  FIG. 4 . Each of the acoustic elements  402  is formed by a stack of layers  406  that are used for sending acoustic waves towards an object and receiving the reflected acoustic waves from the object. Furthermore, the acoustic elements  402  include narrow stack elements  408  and wide stack elements  410 . Also, the width  416  of the narrow stack elements  408 , which is extended horizontally between the vertical gap  404 , is lesser than the width  418  of the wide stack elements  410 . 
     Moreover, the wide stack elements  410  are positioned at sides of the acoustic array  104 , while the narrow stack elements  408  are positioned between the two wide stack elements  410 . For example, a first wide stack element  410  is disposed at a left edge  412  of the acoustic array  104  and the second wide stack element  410  may be disposed at a right edge  414  of the acoustic array  104 . Further, the narrow stack elements  408  are placed between the first and second wide stack elements  410 , as depicted in  FIG. 4 . In one embodiment, the wide stack elements  410  are placed at the edges  412 ,  414  to reduce a vertical gap  415  between adjacent electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  when the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  are disposed on the support structure  102 . By reducing the width of the vertical gap  415 , the electro-acoustic modules  104 ,  106  may receive the reflected acoustic waves with minimal or no signal loss. This in turn improves the quality of the ultrasonic image of the object. 
     In another embodiment, the two wide stack elements  410  are placed at the edges  412 ,  414  of the matrix acoustic array  104  such that the two wide stack elements  410  overhang the ASIC  204  in the corresponding electro-acoustic module  104 . Particularly, while preparing an individual electro-acoustic module  104 , the edges  412 ,  414  of the electro-acoustic module  104  would otherwise need to be trimmed by using a dicing saw without touching or otherwise affecting the ASIC  204 . If the electro-acoustic module  104  includes the wide stack elements  410  at the edges  412 ,  414 , an extra margin may be provided for trimming the electro-acoustic module  104 , which in turn aids in dicing the electro-acoustic module  104  without affecting the ASIC  204 . 
     In one embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 16 , an electro-acoustic module  1600  includes first pads  1602  that are placed between acoustic elements  1604  and a flex interconnect element  1606 . Similarly, the electro-acoustic module  1600  includes second pads  1608  that are placed between an ASIC bump  1610  and the flex interconnect element  1606 . It may be noted that the first pads  1602  and the second pads  1608  are referred to as flex circuit pads. Further, the pads  1602 ,  1608  and the ASIC bump  1610  are used for providing electrical connection between the acoustic elements  1604  and an ASIC  1611 . 
     Also, as depicted in  FIG. 16 , a pitch of the second pads  1608  is matched with a pitch of the ASIC bump  1610 . However, a pitch of the first pads  1602  on a transducer side  1614  is designed to be slightly larger than the pitch of the second pads  1608  on an ASIC side  1612 . In one example, if the pitch of the second pads  1608  is ‘x’ then the pitch of the first pads  1602  may be ‘x+y’. It may be noted that though the pads  1602 ,  1608  have different pitches, the pads  1602 ,  1608  may still have overlapping region  1618  to provide electrical connection between them. Further, while dicing the acoustic elements  1604 , the center saw cut is aligned with the center  1616  of the electro-acoustic module  1600  and the pitch of the saw or dicing cut is matched with the pitch of the first pads  1602  on the transducer side  1614 . In one example, the pitch of the dicing cut may be ‘x+y’ which is same as the pitch of the first pads  1602  on the transducer side  1614 . 
     Furthermore, since the pitch of the dicing cut is larger than the pitch of the second pads on the ASIC side, an extra pitch ‘y’ may be accumulated for each dicing cut from the center  1616  to the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600 . Thus, if the electro-acoustic module  1600  has ‘n’ dicing cuts between the center  1616  and the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600 , the acoustic element at the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600  may be offset from the ASIC bump  1610  by an amount ‘n*y’. This in turn provides extra room to trim the acoustic array without affecting the ASIC or ASIC bump  1610 . Also, it may be noted that the acoustic elements  1604  typically will be of uniform size across the electro-acoustic module  1600  irrespective of the pitch of the dicing cut. 
     Additionally, it may be noted that if the dicing cut is not aligned with the center  1616  of the electro-acoustic module  1600 , the acoustic elements  1604  may still have a uniform size. However, an acoustic element  1604  at one edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600  may have an uneven amount of overhang as compared to the acoustic element  1604  at the other edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600 . 
     In another embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 17 , the pitch of the first pads  1602  and the second pads  1608  may be designed to be the same as the pitch of the ASIC bump  1610 . In one example, the pitch of the first pads  1602 , the second pads  1608 , and the ASIC bump  1610  are designed to be ‘x’. However, the pitch of the dicing cut may be designed to be larger than the pitch of the pads  1602 ,  1608  and the ASIC bump  1610 . For example, if the pitch of the pads  1602 ,  1608  and the ASIC bump is ‘x’, then the pitch of the dicing cut is designed to be ‘x+y’. Further, while dicing the acoustic elements  1604 , an extra pitch ‘y’ may be accumulated for each dicing cut from the center  1616  to the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600 . Thus, if the electro-acoustic module  1600  has ‘n’ dicing cuts between the center  1616  and the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600 , the acoustic element at the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600  may be offset from the ASIC bump  1610  by an amount ‘n*y’. This again provides extra room to trim the acoustic array without affecting the ASIC or ASIC bump  1610 . Further it may be noted that, in this embodiment, the acoustic elements  1604  may not be perfectly aligned with the first pads  1602  on the transducer side  1614 . However, the acoustic elements  1604  and the first pads  1602  may have an overlapping region to provide sufficient electrical connection between them. Here again, the acoustic elements  1604  will be of uniform size irrespective of the pitch of the dicing cut. 
     In yet another embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 18 , the pitch of the first pads  1602  and the second pads  1608  may be designed to be the same as the pitch of the acoustic elements  1604 . In one example, the pitch of the first pads  1602  and the second pads  1608  may be designed to be ‘x+y’. However, the pitch of the ASIC bump  1610  may be designed to be lesser than the pitch of the pads  1602 ,  1608 . For example, if the pitch of the pads  1602 ,  1608  is ‘x+y’, then the pitch of the ASIC bump  1610  is designed to be ‘x’. Further, while dicing the acoustic elements  1604 , an extra pitch ‘y’ may be accumulated for each dicing cut from the center  1616  to the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600 . Thus, if the electro-acoustic module  1600  has ‘n’ dicing cuts between the center  1616  and the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600 , the acoustic element at the edge of the electro-acoustic module  1600  may be offset from the ASIC bump  1610  by an amount ‘n*y’. This in turn provides extra room to trim the acoustic array without affecting the ASIC or ASIC bump  1610 . Further, it may be noted that, in this embodiment, the second pads  1608  may not be perfectly aligned with the ASIC bump  1610  on the ASIC side  1612 . However, the second pads  1608  and the ASIC bump  1610  may have an overlapping region  1620  to provide sufficient electrical connection between them. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a perspective view of the electro-acoustic module, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted. For ease of understanding, the electro-acoustic module  500  is described with reference to the components of  FIGS. 1-4 . If the electro-acoustic modules having flat sides, as depicted in  FIG. 1 , are positioned on a convex surface, the bottom surfaces of these electro-acoustic modules may interfere with each other, while the top corners of these electro-acoustic modules may be separated by a large gap between the electro-acoustic modules. This large gap may in turn cause loss in the signal received from the object and thereby, an improper image of the object may be obtained. 
     To overcome the above problem, the sides of the electro-acoustic module  500  are beveled, as depicted in  FIG. 5 . Particularly, the electro-acoustic module  500  includes a bottom surface  502  and a top surface  504 . The bottom surface  502  is adjacent to a support structure  102  when the electro-acoustic module is disposed on the support structure  102 . Further, the top surface  504  is opposite to the bottom surface  502  and positioned away from the support structure  102 . Also, acoustic energy is emitted from the top surface  504  in a direction that is away from the bottom surface  502 . In addition, the electro-acoustic module  500  includes at least two beveled sides  506 ,  508 , as depicted in  FIG. 5 . In one embodiment, the sides  506 ,  508  may be beveled at an angle ‘θ’ that is in a range from about 5 degrees to about 20 degrees. Each of the beveled sides  506 ,  508  may form a surface  510  extending between the bottom surface  502  and the top surface  504 . Also, this surface  510  may have a first width  512  at the bottom surface  506  and a second width  514  at the top surface  504  of the electro-acoustic module  500 . The first width  512  may be lesser than the second width  514 . In one example, the beveled sides  506 ,  508  may be obtained by tapering the surface  510  from the top surface  504  to the bottom surface  502 , as depicted in  FIG. 5 . 
     Furthermore, as depicted in  FIG. 6 , electro-acoustic modules  602 ,  604  that are similar to the electro-acoustic module  500  are positioned on the convex support structure. Particularly, when the electro-acoustic modules  602 ,  604  having beveled sides are positioned on the convex support structure, the gap between the electro-acoustic modules  602 ,  604  may be substantially reduced. Thus, the electro-acoustic modules  602 ,  604  having beveled sides are used for assembling or forming a convex transducer array which may be further used for diagnostic applications, such as abdominal imaging. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , a cross section of a transducer array, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted. The transducer array  700  includes a plurality of acoustic modules  702 ,  704  that are interconnected by a flex interconnect  706 . Particularly, the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  are serially coupled to each other via the flex interconnect  706 , as depicted in  FIG. 7 . In one embodiment, a vertical gap  712  may be maintained between the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  to allow movement of the acoustic modules  702 ,  704 . Further, each of the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  includes an acoustic array  708 , the flex interconnect  706 , and an ASIC  710 . The acoustic array  708  may be similar to the matrix acoustic array  200  of  FIG. 2 . Similarly, the ASIC  710  may be similar to the ASIC  204  of  FIG. 2 . 
     Moreover, the flex interconnect  706  may be diced in orthogonal azimuth and elevation directions at a region between the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  to promote bending of the flex interconnect  706 . Particularly, the flex interconnect  706  may be partially diced, as depicted in  FIG. 7 , so that the flex interconnect  706  may be bent to move the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  in the azimuth direction. In one example, the flex interconnect  706  may be bent to position the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  on a convex support structure  802 , as depicted in  FIG. 8 . Since the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  are connected to each other by the flex interconnect  706 , the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  may instead be positioned on a flat structure to form a flat transducer array and the flat transducer array be bent along with the acoustic modules  702 ,  704  to form a convex transducer array. Thus, single arrangement of acoustic modules  702 ,  704  may be used to form the flat transducer array or the convex transducer array. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a cross section of a transducer array, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted. The transducer array  900  is similar to the transducer array  700  of  FIG. 7  except that a thickness of a flexible interconnect  906  is varied to conform to a shape of an ultrasound probe. Particularly, the flexible interconnect  906  having variable thickness is coupled between an acoustic array  904  and an ASIC  902  so as to obtain a desired shape of the transducer array  900 , as depicted in  FIG. 9 . In one embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 10 , the flex interconnect  902  may have lesser thickness at the edges  1002 ,  1004  compared to the thickness of the flex interconnect  902  at the center of an acoustic module  1006 . This in turn aids in bringing the acoustic array and the ASIC proximate to each other at the edges  1002 ,  1004  of the acoustic module  1006 . Further, by sequentially aligning or positioning such acoustic module  1006 , the transducer array  900  that more closely approximates a reference curve  908  may be obtained. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , a cross section of a transducer array, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted. The transducer array  1100  is similar to the transducer array  700  of  FIG. 7  except that a length of the ASIC is shortened compared to a length of the acoustic array in each acoustic module. Particularly, as depicted in  FIG. 12 , the length  1202  of the ASIC  1200  is shortened compared to the length  1204  of the acoustic array  1208  in each acoustic module  1210 . Further, by positioning such acoustic modules sequentially, a convex transducer array  1100  that more closely approximates a reference curve  1102  may be obtained, as depicted in  FIG. 11 . In one embodiment, the ASIC in each acoustic module  1200  may be allowed to curve slightly, but at a greater or equal radius of curvature (ROC) than the ultrasound probe is curved to reduce stress on the ASIC. In another embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 11 , the ASIC in each acoustic module  1200  may have lesser ROC than the ultrasound probe to obtain a predefined/desired shape of the ultrasound probe. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , a perspective view of an ultrasound probe, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, is depicted. The ultrasound transducer probe  1300  includes a transducer array  1301  having three electro-acoustic modules  1302 ,  1304 ,  1306  that are coupled to a support structure  1308 . Each of the electro-acoustic modules  1302 ,  1304 ,  1306  is similar to the electro-acoustic module  500  except that the electro-acoustic modules  1302 ,  1304 ,  1306  include elongated flex interconnects  1310 ,  1312 ,  1314 , as depicted in  FIG. 13 . Each of the elongated flex interconnects  1310 ,  1312 ,  1314  may be flexible and adaptable to provide electrical connection between an acoustic array and a circuit/interface board  1320 . 
     In one embodiment, each of the elongated flex interconnects  1310 ,  1312 ,  1314  may be a single strip/element that is connected between the acoustic array and the circuit/interface board  1320 . In another embodiment, each of the elongated flex interconnects  1310 ,  1312 ,  1314  may include a primary flex interconnect  1316  and a secondary flex interconnect  1318 ,  1322 , as depicted in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . Particularly, the primary flex interconnect  1316  is disposed between an acoustic array and an ASIC layer, while the secondary flex interconnect  1318 ,  1322  is electrically coupled between the primary flex interconnect  1316  and a circuit/interface board  1320 . 
     In addition, the secondary flex interconnect  1318 ,  1322  may have one or more shapes depending on the position of the electro-acoustic modules  1310 ,  1312 ,  1314  on a support structure. In one example, if the electro-acoustic module  1304  is on a flat portion  1303  of the transducer array  1301 , the secondary flex interconnect  1318  having a straight or unbent shape is coupled to the primary flex interconnect  1316 , as depicted in  FIG. 14 . In another example, the electro-acoustic module  1302  is positioned on a left curved portion  1305  of the transducer array  1301 , and thus, a secondary flex interconnect  1322  having a slanted or angled edge is coupled to the primary flex interconnect  1316 , as depicted in  FIG. 15 . Thus, one of different shapes of the secondary flex interconnect  1318 ,  1322  may be selected to couple the primary flex interconnect  1316  to the circuit board  1320 . 
     Furthermore, as depicted in  FIG. 13 , the electro-acoustic modules  1302 ,  1304 ,  1306  may be enclosed by a smooth curving material  1324 , such as RTV silicone, or other material with sound speed close to 1540 m/sec. In one example, the smooth curving material may act as a lens that is disposed on the electro-acoustic modules  1302 ,  1304 ,  1306 . The lens may act as a smooth surface on the electro-acoustic modules  1302 ,  1304 ,  1306 , which further aids in placing the ultrasound probe on objects such as chest or abdomen of a patient. 
     The various embodiments of the system and method aid in forming the transducer arrays that are interchangeable and adaptable to a shape of an ultrasound probe. Moreover, these transducer arrays can be assembled on a convex structure without bending electronics or ASIC, which in turn improves the functionality and/or reliability of the ASIC. In addition, these transducer arrays are formed with minimal scrap material, and thus reducing the cost of the ultrasound probe. 
     While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.