Echo Signal Receiving and Data Conversion Integrated Circuits for Portable High-Frequency Ultrasonic Imaging System.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Ultrasound Technology

Background:

• Ultrasonic imaging systems (UIS) are vital in biomedicine, geology, and other fields due to their safety, non-damaging nature, and real-time capabilities.
• Portable high-frequency (>20 MHz) UIS are increasingly used for biomedical detection and diagnosis.
• The performance of these systems is notably affected by integrated circuits (ICs) in complex environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and discuss the structure and performance of ICs within portable high-frequency UIS.
• To summarize typical commercial ICs used in these systems.
• To outline future development directions for ICs in portable high-frequency UIS.

Main Methods:

• Review of IC structures and performance in terminal equipment and in-probe applications for UIS.
• Analysis of the roles of the analog front end (AFE) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in the echo signal transmission link.
• Summary and discussion of commercially available ICs relevant to UIS.

Main Results:

• Identified AFE and ADC as critical modules in the echo signal transmission link of UIS.
• Highlighted the significant impact of ICs on the performance of portable high-frequency UIS.
• Presented a summary of current ICs and their characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Future IC development for portable high-frequency UIS should focus on high integration, ultralow power consumption, high speed, and high precision.
• These advancements are crucial for addressing the requirements and challenges of next-generation UIS.
• The findings offer valuable guidance for the design of AFE and ADC modules.