Patent ID: 7969067

Claim:
An ultrasound probe comprising: a first substrate having a silicon substrate and an ultrasonic transmit-receive element; an acoustic lens disposed over an upper surface of the first substrate; and a damping layer disposed under the first substrate, wherein a second substrate is disposed between a lower surface of the first substrate and an upper surface of the damping layer, wherein the second substrate is made of a material having approximately the same linear expansion coefficient and acoustic impedance as the silicon substrate of the first substrate, and wherein the first substrate forms the transmit-receive element by providing an insulating layer, a gap, and an upper electrode over the silicon substrate which doubles as a lower electrode, wherein the transmit-receive element is composed of the silicon substrate doubling as the lower electrode, a first insulating layer formed on an upper surface of the silicon substrate, a second insulating layer formed on an upper surface of the first insulating layer, a plurality of the gaps formed between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer, and a plurality of the upper electrodes formed corresponding to the respective gaps within the second insulating layer.