Patent ID: 7888709

Claim:
An integrated circuit/transducer device, comprising: a substrate; a complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuit fabricated on the substrate; and a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) element fabricated on the substrate and connected to the CMOS circuit, wherein the CMOS circuit and the cMUT element are fabricated during the same foundry process, and wherein the cMUT element includes: a lower electrode adapted to maintain a first electrical potential, an upper electrode adapted to maintain a second electrical potential, a membrane structure that structurally supports the upper electrode over the lower electrode, wherein an outer region of the membrane structure is thinner than a central region of the membrane, and a cavity between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, wherein the lower electrode and the upper electrode of the cMUT each form a layer of the CMOS circuit.