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Highly Integrated Multiplexing and Buffering Electronics for Large Aperture Ultrasonic Arrays
Robert Wodnicki1, Haochen Kang1, Di Li1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
BME Frontiers
|August 5, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed modular ultrasonic arrays using custom integrated circuits. Second-generation designs significantly reduced switching artifacts, improving large aperture ultrasound imaging quality and yield.
Area of Science:
- Ultrasound transducer technology
- Medical imaging hardware
- Integrated circuit design
Background:
- Large aperture ultrasonic arrays are crucial for advanced medical imaging, offering improved contrast and uniform slice thickness.
- Implementing large arrays via tiling modular components presents challenges in yield, sensitivity, and artifact reduction.
- Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are key to integrating dense acoustic arrays with control electronics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate tileable acoustic-electric modules for large aperture ultrasonic arrays.
- To present the architecture of two generations of ASICs designed for modular array implementation.
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of second-generation ASICs in mitigating switching artifacts.
Main Methods:
- Development of tileable acoustic-electric modules using 0.35 µm high-voltage CMOS ASICs.
- Integration of ASICs with high-density transducer arrays for acoustic testing.
- Interfacing modules with a Verasonics Vantage imaging system for phantom imaging.
- Comparative analysis of imaging results from first- and second-generation modules.
Main Results:
- First-generation modules exhibited visible switching artifacts in ultrasound images.
- Second-generation ASICs incorporated low switching injection circuits, effectively mitigating these artifacts.
- Imaging results confirmed a significant reduction in artifacts with the second-generation devices.
Conclusions:
- Tileable acoustic-electric modules enable the construction of large aperture ultrasonic arrays with high yield.
- Second-generation ASIC design successfully addresses and reduces switching artifacts, enhancing image quality.
- This advancement is critical for developing next-generation ultrasound systems with superior performance.
