Development of Small Ultrasonic Probe using Lead Zirconate Titanate Film Deposited by Hydrothermal Method

Miniature ultrasonic probes were developed by hydrothermally depositing lead zirconate titanate (PZT) polycrystalline films on a titanium (Ti) wire. The small ultrasound probes were fabricated using hydrothermally deposited PZT polycrystalline film on the end of a titanium wire with a diameter of 0.6 mm and a length of 50 mm. The performances of the prototype small ultrasound probes were measured. As a result, it was confirmed that the probe has a center frequency of 16 MHz, a fractional bandwidth of 70%, and a distance resolution of better than about 130 μm without using an acoustic matching layer. It was also found that the beam width was 0.55 mm for a distance of 4 mm between the string target and the miniature ultrasound probe.