Patent ID: 7745977

Claim:
An ultrasonic probe comprising: a piezoelectric vibrator having a first electrode and a second electrode on a rear surface; an acoustic matching layer disposed on a front surface of the piezoelectric vibrator; a packing material disposed on the rear surface of the piezoelectric vibrator; a flexible printed circuit that is interposed between the piezoelectric vibrator and the packing material to cover the entire rear surface of the piezoelectric vibrator and has a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer, wherein the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer are exposed from a surface facing the piezoelectric vibrator of the flexible printed circuit so as to be electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode through an exposed surface of the first wiring layer and an exposed surface of the second wiring layer, respectively, and wherein the exposed surface of the first wiring layer and the exposed surface of the second wiring layer are substantially located within the same plane; and a spacer that is interposed between the flexible printed circuit and the packing material to cause a part of the flexible printed circuit to be protruded such that the exposed surface of the wiring layer disposed at a position remote from the piezoelectric vibrator out of the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer is positioned within the same plane as the exposed surface of the wiring layer disposed at a position in the vicinity of the piezoelectric vibrator out of the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer.