PDC Sensing Element Fabrication Process and Tool

Abstract

A Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) cutter for a rotary drill bit is provided with an integrated sensor and circuitry for making measurements of a property of a fluid in the borehole and/or an operating condition of the drill bit. A method of manufacture of the PDC cutter and the rotary drill bit is discussed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

This disclosure relates in general to Polycrystalline Diamond Compact drill bits, and in particular, to a method of and an apparatus for PDC bits with integrated sensors and methods for making such PDC bits.

2. The Related Art

Rotary drill bits are commonly used for drilling bore holes, or well bores, in earth formations. Rotary drill bits include two primary configurations and combinations thereof. One configuration is the roller cone bit, which typically includes three roller cones mounted on support legs that extend from a bit body. Each roller cone is configured to spin or rotate on a support leg. Teeth are provided on the outer surfaces of each roller cone for cutting rock and other earth formations.

A second primary configuration of a rotary drill bit is the fixed-cutter bit (often referred to as a “drag” bit), which conventionally includes a plurality of cutting elements secured to a face region of a bit body. Generally, the cutting elements of a fixed-cutter type drill bit have either a disk shape or a substantially cylindrical shape. A hard, superabrasive material, such as mutually bonded particles of polycrystalline diamond, may be provided on a substantially circular end surface of each cutting element to provide a cutting surface. Such cutting elements are often referred to as “polycrystalline diamond compact” (PDC) cutters. The cutting elements may be fabricated separately from the bit body and are secured within pockets formed in the outer surface of the bit body. A bonding material such as an adhesive or a braze alloy may be used to secure the cutting elements to the bit body. The fixed-cutter drill bit may be placed in a bore hole such that the cutting elements abut against the earth formation to be drilled. As the drill bit is rotated, the cutting elements engage and shear away the surface of the underlying formation.

During drilling operations, it is common practice to use measurement while drilling (MWD) and logging while drilling (LWD) sensors to make measurements of drilling conditions or of formation and/or fluid properties and control the drilling operations using the MWD/LWD measurements. The tools are either housed in a bottom hole assembly (BHA) or formed so as to be compatible with the drill stem. It is desirable to obtain information from the formation as close to the tip of the drill bit as is feasible.

The present disclosure is directed towards a drill bit having PDC cutting elements including integrated circuits configured to measure drilling conditions, properties of fluids in the borehole, properties of earth formations, and/or properties of fluids in earth formations. By having sensors on the drill bit, the time lag between the bit penetrating the formation and the time the MWD/LWD tool senses formation property or drilling condition is substantially eliminated. In addition, by having sensors at the drill bit, unsafe drilling conditions are more likely to be detected in time to take remedial action. In addition, pristine formation properties can be measured without any contamination or with reduced contamination from drilling fluids. For example, mud cake on the borehole wall prevents and/or distorts rock property measurements such as resistivity, nuclear, and acoustic measurements. Drilling fluid invasion into the formation contaminates the native fluid and gives erroneous results.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One embodiment of the disclosure is a rotary drill bit configured to be conveyed in a borehole and drill an earth formation, The rotary drill bit includes: at least one polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter including: (i) at least one cutting element, and (ii) at least one transducer configured to provide a signal indicative of at least one of: (I) an operating condition of the drill bit, and (II) a property of a fluid in the borehole, and (III) a property of the surrounding formation.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is a method of conducting drilling operations. The method includes: conveying a rotary drill bit into a borehole and drilling an earth formation; and using at least one transducer on a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter coupled to a body of the rotary drill bit for providing a signal indicative of at least one of: (I) an operating condition of the drill bit, and (II) a property of a fluid in the borehole, and (III) a property of the formation.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is a method of forming a rotary drill bit. The method includes: making at least one polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter including: (i) at least one cutting element, (ii) at least one transducer configured to provide a signal indicative of at least one of: (I) an operating condition of the drill bit, and (II) a property of a fluid in the borehole, and (III) a property of the formation and (iii) a protective layer on a side of the at least one transducer opposite to the at least one cutting element; and using the protective layer for protecting a sensing layer including the at least one transducer from abrasion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a detailed understanding of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of an earth-boring rotary drill bit that embodies teachings of the present disclosure and includes a bit body comprising a particle-matrix composite material;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a Polycrystalline Diamond Compact portion of a drill bit according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows an example of a pad including an array of sensors;

FIG. 4 shows an example of a cutter including a sensor and a PDC cutting element;

FIGS. 5( a)-5(f) shows various arrangements for disposition of the sensor;

FIG. 6 illustrates an antenna on the surface of the PDC cutter;

FIGS. 7( a)-(e) illustrate the sequence in which different layers of the PDC cutter are made;

FIGS. 8( a)-8(b) show the major operations needed to carry out the layering of FIGS. 6a-6e;

FIG. 9 shows the basic structure of a pad including sensors of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 10( a)-(b) show steps in the fabrication of the assembly of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 11( a)-(b) show steps in the fabrication of the assembly of FIG. 5(f); and

FIG. 12 illustrates the use of transducers on two different cutting elements for measurement of acoustic properties of the formation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

An earth-boring rotary drill bit 10 that embodies teachings of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. The drill bit 10 includes a bit body 12 comprising a particle-matrix composite material 15 that includes a plurality of hard phase particles or regions dispersed throughout a low-melting point binder material. The hard phase particles or regions are “hard” in the sense that they are relatively harder than the surrounding binder material. In some embodiments, the bit body 12 may be predominantly comprised of the particle-matrix composite material 15, which is described in further detail below. The bit body 12 may be fastened to a metal shank 20, which may be formed from steel and may include an American Petroleum Institute (API) threaded pin 28 for attaching the drill bit 10 to a drill string (not shown). The bit body 12 may be secured directly to the shank 20 by, for example, using one or more retaining members 46 in conjunction with brazing and/or welding, as discussed in further detail below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bit body 12 may include wings or blades 30 that are separated from one another by junk slots 32. Internal fluid passageways 42 may extend between the face 18 of the bit body 12 and a longitudinal bore 40, which extends through the steel shank 20 and at least partially through the bit body 12. In some embodiments, nozzle inserts (not shown) may be provided at the face 18 of the bit body 12 within the internal fluid passageways 42.

The drill bit 10 may include a plurality of cutting elements on the face 18 thereof. By way of example and not limitation, a plurality of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters 34 may be provided on each of the blades 30, as shown in FIG. 1. The PDC cutters 34 may be provided along the blades 30 within pockets 36 formed in the face 18 of the bit body 12, and may be supported from behind by buttresses 38, which may be integrally formed with the bit body 12. During drilling operations, the drill bit 10 may be positioned at the bottom of a well bore and rotated while drilling fluid is pumped to the face 18 of the bit body 12 through the longitudinal bore 40 and the internal fluid passageways 42. As the PDC cutters 34 shear or engage the underlying earth formation, the formation cuttings and detritus are mixed with and suspended within the drilling fluid, which passes through the junk slots 32 and the annular space between the well bore hole and the drill string to the surface of the earth formation.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a cross section of an exemplary PDC cutter 34 is shown. This includes a PDC cutting element 213. This may also be referred to as part of the diamond table. A thin layer 215 of material such as Si₃N₄/Al₂O₃ is provided for passivation/adhesion of other elements of the cutter 34 to the cutting elements 213. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) may be used for the upper surface of the passivation layer 215. The cutting element may be provided with a substrate 211.

The layer 217 includes metal traces and patterns for the electrical circuitry associated with a sensor. Above the circuit layer is a layer or plurality of layers 219 that may include a piezoelectric element and a p-n-p transistor. These elements may be set up as a Wheatstone bridge for making measurements. The top layer 221 is a protective (passivation) layer that is conformal. The conformal layer 221 makes it possible uniformly cover 217 and/or 219 with a protective layer. The layer 221 may be made of diamond like carbon (DLC).

The sensing material shown above is a piezoelectric material. The use of the piezoelectric material makes it possible to measure the strain on the cutter 34 during drilling operations. This is not to be construed as a limitation and a variety of sensors may be incorporated into the layer 219. For example, an array of electrical pads to measure the electrical potential of the adjoining formation or to investigate high-frequency (HF) attenuation may be used. Alternatively, an array of ultrasonic transducers for acoustic imaging, acoustic velocity determination, acoustic attenuation determination, and shear wave propagation may be used.

Sensors for other physical properties may be used. These include accelerometers, gyroscopes and inclinometers. Micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) or nano electro mechanical system (NEMS) style sensors and related signal conditioning circuitry can be built directly inside the PDC or on the surface. These are examples of sensors for a physical condition of the cutter and drillstem.

Chemical sensors that can be incorporated include sensors for elemental analysis: carbon nanotube (CNT), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensors to detect the presence of various trace elements based on the principle of a selectively gated field effect transistors (FET) or ion sensitive field effect transistors (ISFET) for pH, H₂S and other ions; sensors for hydrocarbon analysis; CNT, DLC based sensors working on chemical electropotential; and sensors for carbon/oxygen analysis. These are examples of sensor for analysis of a fluid in the borehole.

Acoustic sensors for acoustic imaging of the rock may be provided. For the purposes of the present disclosure, all of these types of sensors may be referred to as transducers. The broad dictionary meaning of the term is intended: “a device actuated by power from one system and supplying power in the same or any other form to a second system.” This includes sensors that provide an electric signal in response to a measurement such as radiation as well as a device that uses electric power to produce mechanical motion.

in one embodiment of the disclosure shown in FIG. 3, a sensor pad 303 provided with an array of sensing elements 305 is shown. The sensing elements may include pressure sensors, temperature sensors, stress sensors and/or strain sensors. Using the array of sensors, it is possible to make measurements of variations of the fence parameter across the face of the PDC element 301. Electrical leads 307 to the sensing array are shown. The pad 303 may be glued onto the PDC element 301 as indicated by the arrow 309.

In one embodiment of the disclosure shown in FIG. 4, a sensor 419 is shown on the cutter 34. The sensor may be a chemical field effect transistor (FET). The PDC element 413 is provided with grooves to allow fluid and particle flow to the sensor 419. In another embodiment of the disclosure, the sensor 419 may comprise an acoustic transducer configured to measure the acoustic velocity of the fluids and particles in the grooves. The acoustic sensors may be built from thin films or may be made of piezoelectric elements. The sensing layer can be built on top of the diamond table or below the diamond table or on the substrate surface, (either of the interfaces with the diamond table or with the drill bit matrix). In another embodiment of the disclosure, the sensor 419 may include an array of sensors of the type discussed above with reference to FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 5a, shown therein is a bit body 12 with cutters 34. A sensor 501 is shown disposed in a cavity 503 in the bit body 12. A communication (inflow) channel 505 is provided for flow of fluids and/or particles to the sensor 503. The cavity is also provided with an outlet channel 507. The sensor 501 is similar to the sensor shown in FIG. 2 but lacks the cutting elements 213 but includes the circuit layer 215, and the sensor layer 217. The sensor may include a chemical analysis sensor, an inertial sensor; an electrical potential sensor; a magnetic flux sensor and/or an acoustic sensor. The sensor is configured to make a measurement of a property of the fluid conveyed to the cavity and/or solid material in the fluid.

FIG. 5( b) shows the arrangement of the sensor 217 discussed in FIG. 2. In FIG. 5 (c), the sensor 217 is in the cutting element 213. FIG. 5(d) shows the sensor 217 in the substrate and FIG. 5(e) shows one sensor in the matrix 30 and one sensor in the substrate 211. FIG. 5f shows an arrangement in which nanotube sensors 501 are embedded in the matrix. These nanotubes may be used to measure pressure force and/or temperature.

FIG. 6 shows an antenna 601 on the cutter 34. An electromagnetic (EM) transceiver 603 is located in the matrix of the bit body 12. The transceiver is used to interrogate the antenna 601 and retrieve data on the measurements made by the sensor 219 in FIG. 2. The transceiver is provided with electrically shielded cables to enable communication with devices in the bit shank or a sub attached to the drill bit.

Referring to FIGS. 7(a)-(e), the sequence of operations used to assemble the cutter 34 shown in FIG. 2 are discussed. As shown in FIG. 7(a), PDC elements 213 are mounted on a handle wafer 701 to form a diamond table. Filler material 703 is added to make the upper surface of the subassembly shown in FIG. 7(a) planar.

As shown in a detail of FIG. 7a in FIG. 7b, a “passivation layer” 705 comprising Si₃N₄ may be deposited on top of the cutter elements 213 and the filler 703. The purpose of the thin layer is to improve adhesion between the cutter elements 213 and the layer above (discussed with reference to FIG. 7a). As suggested by the term “passivation”, this layer also prevents damage to the layer above by the PDC cutting element 213. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) may be needed for forming the passivation layer. It should be noted that the use of Si₃N₄ is for exemplary purposes and not to be construed as a limitation. Equipment for chemical vapor deposition (CVD), Physical/Plasma Vapor Deposition (PVD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and sol-gel spinning may be needed at this stage.

Referring next to FIG. 7c, metal traces and a pattern 709 for contacts and electronic circuitry are deposited. Equipment for sputter coating, evaporation, ALD, electroplating, and etching (plasma and wet) may be used. As shown in FIG. 7d, a piezoelectric material and a p-n-p semiconductor layer 709 are deposited. The output of the piezoelectric material may be used as an indication of strain when the underlying pattern on layer 707 includes a Wheatstone bridge. It should be noted that the use of a piezoelectric material is for exemplary purposes only and other types of sensor materials could be used. Equipment needed for this may include LPCVD, CVD, Plasma, ALD and RF sputtering.

A protective passivation layer that is conformal is added 711. The term “conformal” is used to mean the ability to form a layer over a layer of varying topology. This could be made of diamond-like carbon (DLC). Process equipment needed may include CVD, sintering, and RF sputtering. Removal of the handle 701 and the filler material gives the PDC cutter 34 shown in FIG. 2 that may be attached to the wing 30 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 a shows the major operational units needed to provide the mounted PDC unit of FIG. 7b. This includes starting with the PDC elements 213 in step 801 and the handle wafer 701 in 803 to give the mounted and planarized unit 805.

The mounted PDC unit is transferred to a PDC loading unit 811 and goes to a PDC wafer transfer unit 813. The units are then transferred to the units identified as 815, 817 and 819. 815 is the metal processing chamber which may include CVD, sputtering and evaporation. The thin film deposition chamber 819 may includes LPCVD, CVD, and plasma enhanced CVD. The DLC deposition chamber 817 may include CVD and ALD. Next, the fabrication of the array of FIG. 3 is discussed.

Referring now to FIG. 9, tungsten carbide base 905 is shown with sensors 903 and a PDC table. One method of fabrication comprises deposition of the sensing layer 903 directly on top of the tungsten carbide base 905 and then forming the diamond table on top of the tungsten carbide base. Temperatures of 1500° C. to 1700° C. may be used and pressures of around 10⁶ psi may be used.

Such an assembly can be fabricated by building a sensing layer 903 on the substrate 905 and running traces 904 as shown in FIG. 10(a). The diamond table 901 is next deposited on the substrate. Alternatively, the diamond table 901 may be preformed, based on the substrate 905, and brazed.

Fabrication of the assembly shown in FIG. 5f is discussed next with reference to FIGS. 11(a)-(b). The nanotubes 1103 are inserted into the substrate 905. The diamond table 901 is next deposited on the substrate 905.

Integrating temperature sensors in the assemblies of FIGS. 10-11 is relatively straightforward. Possible materials to be used are high-temperature thermocouple materials. Connection may be provided through the side of the PDC or through the bottom of the PDC.

Pressure sensors made of quartz crystals can be embedded in the substrate. Piezoelectric materials may be used. Resistivity and capacitive measurements can be performed through the diamond table by placing electrodes on the tungsten carbide substrate. Magnetic sensors can be integrated for failure magnetic surveys. Those versed in the art and having benefit of the present disclosure would recognize that magnetic material would have to be re-magnetized after integrating into the sensor assembly. Chemical sensors may also be used in the configuration of FIG. 11. Specifically, a small source of radioactive materials is used in or instead of one of the nanotubes and a gamma ray sensor or a neutron sensor may be used in the position of another one of the nanotubes.

Those versed in the art and having benefit of the present disclosure would recognize that the piezoelectric transducer could also be used to generate acoustic vibrations. Such ultrasonic transducers may be used to keep the face of the PDC element clean and to increase the drilling efficiency. Such a transducer may be referred to as a vibrator. In addition, the ability to generate elastic waves in the formation can provide much useful information. This is schematically illustrated in FIG. 12 that shows acoustic transducers on two different PDC elements 34. One of them, for example 1201 may be used to generate a shear wave in the formation. The shear wave propagating through the formation is detected by the transducer 1203 at a known distance from the source transducer 1201. By measuring the travel time for the shear wave to propagate through the formation, the formation shear velocity can be estimated. This is a good diagnostic of the rock type. Measurement of the decay of the shear wave over a plurality of distances provides an additional indication of the rock type. In one embodiment of the disclosure, compressional wave velocity measurements are also made. The ratio of compressional wave velocity to shear wave velocity (V_P/V_s ratio) helps distinguish between carbonate rocks and siliciclastic rocks. The presence of gas can also be detected using measurements of the V_P/V_s ratio. In an alternative embodiment, the condition of the cutting element may be determined from the propagation velocity of surface waves on the cutting element. This is an example of determination of the operating condition of the drill bit.

The shear waves may be generated using an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT). U.S. Pat. No. 7,697,375 two Reiderman et al., having the same as in the as the present disclosure and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference discloses a combined EMAT adapted to generate both SH and Lamb waves. Teachings such as those of Reiderman may be used in the present disclosure.

The acquisition and processing of measurements made by the transducer may be controlled at least in part by downhole electronics (not shown). Implicit in the control and processing of the data is the use of a computer program on a suitable machine readable-medium that enables the processors to perform the control and processing. The machine-readable medium may include ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memories and optical disks. The term processor is intended to include devices such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

Claims

1. A rotary drill bit configured to be conveyed in a borehole and drill an earth formation, the rotary drill bit comprising: at least one polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter including:(i) at least one cutting element, and(ii) at least one transducer configured to provide a signal indicative of at least one of: (I) an operating condition of the drill bit, and (II) a property of a fluid in the borehole, and (III) a property of the surrounding formation.

2. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 wherein the at least one PDC cutting element further comprises a protective layer on a side of the at least one transducer opposite to the at least one cutting element, the protective layer being configured to safeguard a sensing layer including the transducer from abrasive elements.

3. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 wherein the at least one transducer further comprises an array of transducers disposed on a pad.

4. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 wherein the at least one transducer is selected from the group consisting of: (i) a strain sensor, (ii) an accelerometer, (iii) an inclinometer, (iv) a magnetometer, (v) a temperature sensor, (vi) a carbon nanotube sensor, (vii) an electropotential sensor, (viii) a sensor for carbon/oxygen analysis, (ix) an acoustic sensor, (x) a chemical field effect sensor, (xi) an ion-sensitive sensor, (xii) an angular rate sensor, (xiii) a nuclear sensor, (xiv) a pressure sensor, (xv) a vibrator and (xvi) an electromechanical acoustic transducer.

5. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 wherein the at least one PDC cutter further comprises a passivation layer disposed between the at least one cutting element and the at least one transducer.

6. The rotary drill bit of claim 5 further comprising electronic circuitry disposed between the passivation layer and the at least one transducer.

7. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 wherein the at least one cutting element is provided with a channel configured to allow flow of a fluid to the at least one transducer.

8. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 wherein the at least one transducer is disposed in at least one of: (i) a cavity in the body of the bit provided with a fluid flow channel, (ii) in the at least one cutting element, (iii) a substrate of the at least one cutting element, and (iv) in a matrix of a bit body.

9. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 further comprising: an electromagnetic (EM) transceiver in the body of the bit; andan antenna on the at least one PDC cutter;wherein the EM transceiver is configured to interrogate the antenna and receive data relating to the signal.

10. The rotary drill bit of claim 1 wherein the at least one cutting element further comprises a first cutting element having a first transducer and a second cutting element having a second transducer responsive to a signal produced by the first transducer.

11. A method of conducting drilling operations, the method comprising: conveying a rotary drill bit into a borehole and drilling an earth formation; andusing at least one transducer on a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter coupled to a body of the rotary drill bit for providing a signal indicative of at least one of: (I) an operating condition of the drill bit, and (II) a property of a fluid in the borehole, and (III) a property of the formation.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising using a drill bit having a protective layer on a side of the at least one transducer opposite to the at least one cutting element, and using the protective layer to safeguard a sensing layer including the at least one transducer from external abrasion.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising using, for the at least one transducer, a transducer selected from the group consisting of: (i) a strain sensor, (ii) an accelerometer, (iii) an inclinometer, (iv) a magnetometer, (v) a temperature sensor, (vi) a carbon nanotube sensor, (vii) an electropotential sensor, (viii) a sensor for carbon/oxygen analysis, (ix) an acoustic sensor, (x) a chemical field effect sensor, (xi) an ion-sensitive sensor, (xii) an angular rate sensor, (xiii) a nuclear sensor, and (xiv) a pressure sensor.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising using, for the at least one PDC cutter, a PDC cutter including a passivation layer disposed between the at least one cutting element and the at least one transducer.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising conveying the signal to electronic circuitry disposed between the protective layer and the at least one transducer.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a channel for conveying fluid from the borehole to the at least one transducer.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising positioning the at least one transducer at a location selected from: (i) a cavity in the body of the bit provided with a fluid flow channel, (ii) in the at least one cutting element, (iii) a substrate of the at least one cutting element, (iv) a matrix of a bit body.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising: providing an electromagnetic (EM) transceiver in the body of the bit;providing an antenna on the at least one PDC cutter; andusing the EM transceiver for interrogating the antenna and receiving data relating to the signal.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising generating a signal using a transducer on a first cutting element of the rotary drill bit and receiving a signal indicative of a property of the Earth formation using a transducer on a second cutting element of the Rotary drill bit.

20. A method of forming a rotary drill bit, the method comprising: making at least one polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter including at least one cutting element;coupling a sensing layer including at least one transducer on the cutting element andcoupling the at least one PDC cutter to a body of the drill bit.

21. The method of forming a rotary drill bit claim 20 wherein coupling the sensing layer further comprises depositing the sensing layer.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one transducer is configured to provide a signal indicative of at least one of: (i) an operating condition of the drillbit, (ii) a property of a fluid in the borehole, and (iii) a property of the formation.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising depositing a protective layer for protecting the sensing layer from abrasion during drilling operations.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein making the at least one polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter further comprises: mounting a plurality of cutting elements to a handle wafer;adding a filler material to gaps between the plurality of cutting elements;depositing a passivation layer on top of the filler material and the plurality of cutter elements;depositing electronic circuitry on top of the passivation layer;positioning a transducer above the electronic circuitry and coupling an output of the transducer to the electronic circuitry;forming a protective layer above the transducer;removing the handle wafer; andremoving the filler material.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein depositing the passivation layer further comprises using Si3N4.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein depositing the passivation layer further comprises at least one of: (i) chemical vapor deposition (CVD), (ii) Low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), (iii) atomic layer deposition (ALD), and (iv) using a sol-gel.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein depositing electronic circuitry on top of the passivation layer further comprises at least one of: (i) sputter coating, (ii) evaporation, (ii) atomic layer deposition (ALD), (iii) electroplating, (iv) plasma etching, and (iv) wet etching.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein positioning a transducer above the electronic circuitry further comprises at least one of: (i) chemical vapor deposition (CVD), (ii) low pressure CVD, (iii) plasma etching, (iv) atomic layer deposition, and (v) radio frequency (RF) sputtering.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein forming the protective layer above the transducer further comprises hard materials like diamond-like carbon (DLC).

30. The method of claim 24 wherein forming the protective layer above the transducer further comprises using a conformal material.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein forming the protective layer above the transducer further comprises using at least one of: (i) chemical vapor deposition, (ii) sintering, (iii) sputtering, (iv) evaporation, and (v) screen printing and curing.