Fabrication and evaluation of fully-sampled, two-dimensional transducer array for "Sonic Window" imaging system.

Area of Science:

• Ultrasound transducer technology
• Medical imaging hardware
• Acoustic engineering

Background:

• Development of cost-effective ultrasound systems is crucial for broader accessibility.
• Handheld ultrasound devices require compact and efficient transducer arrays.
• Optimizing transducer performance impacts diagnostic capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a low-cost, 3600-element 2D transducer array for handheld ultrasound.
• To compare the performance of four different array configurations.
• To identify the most promising configuration for C-scan imaging.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and characterization of four 2D transducer array configurations.
• Evaluation of impedance, pulse-echo response, and beam profile.
• Comparative finite element analysis simulations.
• Assessment of active element yield.

Main Results:

• Average active element yield was 94% across all configurations.
• The array with a pedestal backing layer showed a 26% bandwidth and 1.7 dB sensitivity improvement.
• This configuration outperformed arrays with only matching layers or no additional layers.

Conclusions:

• The pedestal backing layer significantly enhances transducer performance for handheld ultrasound.
• The developed array is suitable for C-scan imaging, though reverberations require further mitigation.
• Future work includes custom PCB fabrication and advanced signal processing to address reverberations.