Patent ID: 7082655

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a ceramic element for use in an ultrasonic transducer comprising the steps of: providing a ceramic material of preselected size having a first side and an opposed second side, the ceramic material further characterized as a piezo-elastic material; encapsulating the ceramic material in a non-conductive polymer to form a composite; processing the first side of the composite to expose the ceramic material, the ceramic material in the first side being positioned in the composite below the polymer in the first side; processing the second side of the composite to expose the ceramic material, the ceramic material in the second side being positioned in the composite below the polymer in the second side; acid etching the first side of the composite, the acid selected to attack the ceramic material; acid etching the second side of the composite, the acid selected to attack the ceramic material; then plasma etching the polymer on the first side of the composite for a time sufficient to remove a portion of the polymer so that the ceramic material extends above the polymer on the first side of the composite; plasma etching the polymer on the second side of the composite for a time sufficient to remove a portion of the polymer so that the ceramic material extends above the polymer on the second side of the composite; then plating the first side of the composite with a conductive material at a first preselected temperature sufficiently low such that the difference in expansion between the ceramic material and the polymer does not damage the applied plating; plating the second side of the composite with a conductive material at the first preselected temperature sufficiently low such that the difference in expansion between the ceramic and the polymer does not damage the applied plating; then deactivating the ceramic material and poling the ceramic material at a second preselected temperature sufficiently low that the difference in expansion between the ceramic material and the polymer does not damage the applied plating; then attaching contacts to one side of the plated composite; and applying acoustic layers to the composite to form the transducer.