Sparse arrays of PMUTs for beam optimization

Ultrasound technologies have become an essential building block of modern medical practice. New applications like 3D imaging and neuromodulation use periodic arrays of ultrasound transducers to focus and steer ultrasound beams, by adding different time delays to each transducer element [1]. Another approach for forming and manipulating ultrasound beams consists in arranging the transducers in special non-periodic patterns [2]. Nevertheless, this approach requires the fabrication of transducer arrays on chips with elements located at arbitrary locations, which is not possible with state-of-the-art bulk piezoelectric transducers [3]. Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducers (PMUTs), based on microfabrication techniques, allow for the necessary design freedom. In this project, transducer arrays based on sparse patterns for beam optimization will be designed, fabricated in EKL facilities and characterized.

This project is a collaboration between Tomás Manzaneque (EI) and Yanki Aslan (MS3).

[1] HOPF, Yannick M., et al. A Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC With Shared Hybrid Beamforming ADC for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intracardiac Echocardiography. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, 2022, 57.11: 3228-3242.

[2] SAVOIA, Alessandro Stuart, et al. A 256-element spiral CMUT array with integrated analog front end and transmit beamforming circuits. In: 2018 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS). IEEE, 2018. p. 206-212.

[3] CHEN, Chao; PERTIJS, Michiel AP. Integrated transceivers for emerging medical ultrasound imaging devices: A review. IEEE Open Journal of the Solid-State Circuits Society, 2021, 1: 104-114.

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Last modified: 2024-02-05