PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact ultrasonic transducer which is advantageously usable for catheter loading.SOLUTION: The ultrasonic transducer has: a rectangular piezoelectric ceramic sheet piece 2 which has a retracted portion 1, extending along a thickness, on a side face an upper electrode layer 3 placed on an upper surface of the ceramic sheet piece 2, and a terminal electrode layer 4 for the upper electrode layer that is electrically connected to the upper electrode layer 3 a lower electrode layer 5 placed on the lower surface of the ceramic sheet piece 2 an electro-conductive layer 6 that is placed on the retracted portion 1 and electrically connected to the lower electrode layer 5 a terminal electrode layer 7 for the lower electrode layer that is placed on the upper surface of the ceramic sheet piece 2 and is electrically connected to the electro-conductive layer 6 lead wires 9a and 9b connected to the terminal electrode layer 4 for the upper electrode layer and the terminal electrode layer 7 for the lower electrode layer an acoustic matching layer 10 placed on the upper surface of the upper electrode layer 3 and an acoustic absorbing layer 11 placed on the lower surface of the lower electrode layer 5.COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT【課題】カテーテル装填用として有利に用いることができる小型の超音波探触子を提供する。【解決手段】厚み方向に伸びた凹部1を側面に有する矩形の圧電セラミックシート片2、圧電セラミックシート片2の上面に備えられた上側電極層3と上側電極層3に電気的に接続する上側電極層用端子電極層4、圧電セラミックシート片2の下面に備えられた下側電極層5、下側電極層5に電気的に接続する上記凹部1に備えられた導電層6、導電層6に電気的に接続する圧電セラミックシート片2の上面に備えられた下側電極層用端子電極層7、上側電極層用端子電極層4と下側電極層用端子電極層7のそれぞれに付設されたリード線9a、9b、上側電極層3の上面に備えられた音響整合層10、そして下側電極層5の下面に備えられた吸音層11を含む超音波探触子。【選択図】図1
