The influence of nonlinear fields on miniature hydrophone calibration using the planar scanning technique

Miniature polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hydrophones used in determining the power and intensity output of ultrasonic fields, including those radiated from diagnostic ultrasound equipment, were calibrated under a variety of field conditions using the planar scanning technique. A diagnostic B-scan piston-type transducer was used as a source, and the output intensity (spatial-peak pulse-average, or SPPA) was varied from 2 to 30 W/cm(2) while the total power was kept constant. The higher-intensity waveforms were significantly nonlinear in the focal region of the source. When the lateral beam profiles of the source (as measured by the hydrophone to be calibrated) were determined by positive-peak-detecting the ultrasonic pulse, the calibrated pressure sensitivity of the hydrophone systematically decreased as the field became progressively more nonlinear. When the beam profiles were measured using the pulse intensity integral, no systematic dependence of the calibration on field linearity was noted. These results imply that measured values of power and intensity of ultrasound diagnostic equipment may be dependent on the methodology utilized to map the lateral beam profiles of the transducer being measured, and the extent of nonlinear effects in the field under characterization.