A Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC for 3D Ultrasonography with Micro-Beamforming ADCs based on Passive Boxcar Integration and a Multi-Level Datalink

This paper presents a pitch-matched transceiver ASIC integrated with a 2-D transducer array for a wearable ultrasound device for transfontanelle ultrasonography. The ASIC combines 8-fold multiplexing, 4-channel micro-beamforming (μ BF) and sub-array-level digitization to achieve a 128-fold channel-count reduction. The μ BF is based on passive...

High-frame-rate Volumetric Porcine Cardiac Imaging

Volumetric echocardiography can potentially give a more complete picture of cardiac dynamics than its two-dimensional (2D) counterpart. Current clinical volumetric imaging probes have relatively low frame rates, and often require ECG gating to stitch together an entire volume. This makes measuring fast dynamics of the heart as well as imaging...

A 1.2mW/channel 100m-Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC with Boxcar-Integration-Based RX Micro-Beamformer for High-Resolution 3D Ultrasound Imaging

The integration of 2D ultrasonic transducer arrays and pitch-matched ASICs has enabled the realization of various 3D ultrasound imaging devices in recent years [1]-[3]. As applications such as 3D intravascular ultrasonography, intra-cardiac echocardiography, and trans-fontanelle ultrasonography call for miniaturization and improved spatial...

A Pitch-Matched ASIC with Integrated 65V TX and Shared Hybrid Beamforming ADC for Catheter-Based High-Frame-Rate 3D Ultrasound Probes

Intra-cardiac echography (ICE) probes (Fig. 32.2.1) are widely used in electrophysiology for their good procedure guidance and relatively safe application. ASICs are increasingly employed in these miniature probes to enhance signal quality and reduce the number of connections needed in mm-diameter catheters [1]-[5]. 3D visualization in real...

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Subdicing on an Ultrasound Matrix Transducer

Over the past decades, real-time three-dimensional (3D) medical ultrasound has attracted much attention since it enables clinicians to diagnose more accurately. This calls for ultrasound matrix transducers with a large number of elements, which can be interfaced with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for data reduction. An...

Fabrication and Characterization of a Prototype Forward-Looking Single-Cable 64-Element Intra-Vascular Ultrasound Probe

This paper presents the integration steps towards a prototype forward-looking intra-vascular ultrasound probe. An ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) is laser cut to create a 1.6mm circular shaped die that can be integrated at the tip of a small catheter. The ASIC is designed such that it can be used to transmit and receive on 64...