Patent ID: 8547799

Claim:
An ultrasonic probe comprising: a rear block having a predetermined thickness; a flexible printed circuit board stacked on the rear block to surround the top face and side of the rear block and having wiring patterns formed thereon; a piezoelectric wafer stacked on the top face of the flexible printed circuit board and having upper and lower electrodes respectively formed on top and bottom faces thereof; a ground electrode plate stacked on the top face of the piezoelectric wafer, bonded to the upper electrode and connected to a ground layer of the flexible printed circuit board; an acoustic matching layer stacked on the top face of the ground electrode plate; and an acoustic lens bonded onto the acoustic matching layer; wherein the piezoelectric wafer has first vertical holes elongated in one horizontal direction, wherein vertical slots are formed in the acoustic matching layer, the ground electrode plate, the piezoelectric wafer and the flexible printed circuit board, and are elongated in another horizontal direction perpendicular to the one horizontal direction, wherein the flexible printed circuit board comprises: a base film formed of an insulating material and having a bottom face bonded onto the rear block and a top face opposite to the bottom face; and wiring patterns formed on both faces of the base film, wherein the wiring patterns comprises: a central wiring pattern that is formed on the top face of the base film, has a central pad formed between neighboring first vertical holes, and is extended to the bottom face of the base film through a via; a first wiring pattern that has a first pad formed adjacent to one side of the central pad, and is extended to one side of the top face of the base film; a second wiring pattern that has a second pad formed adjacent to the opposite side of the central pad, and is extended to the opposite side of the top face of the base film; a protective layer formed on the top face of the base film so as to cover the first and second wiring patterns except the first and second pads, and formed on the bottom face of the base film so as to cover the central wiring pattern except the central pad; and a ground layer formed on the protective layer formed on the top face of the base film, and connected to the ground electrode plate.