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An Ultrasound Matrix Transducer for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intra-cardiac Echocardiography

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Hopf, Y.M. (author), Soozande, Mehdi (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

Objective: Described here is the development of an ultrasound matrix transducer prototype for high-frame-rate 3-D intra-cardiac echocardiography. Methods: The matrix array consists of 16 × 18 lead zirconate titanate elements with a pitch of 160 µm × 160 µm built on top of an application-specific integrated circuit that generates transmission...

journal article 2024

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Acoustic streaming-based calibration of ultrasound transducers

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Baldini, L.B. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author)

The accurate determination of the transfer function of ultrasound transducers is important for their design and operational performance. However, conventional methods for quantifying the transfer function, such as hydrophone measurements, radiation force balance, and pulse-echo measurements, are costly and complex due to specialized equipment...

journal article 2024

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Improving Lateral Resolution in 3-D Imaging With Micro-beamforming Through Adaptive Beamforming by Deep Learning

Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Luijten, Ben (author), Bera, Deep (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.A. (author), van Sloun, Ruud J.G. (author)

There is an increased desire for miniature ultrasound probes with small apertures to provide volumetric images at high frame rates for in-body applications. Satisfying these increased requirements makes simultaneous achievement of a good lateral resolution a challenge. As micro-beamforming is often employed to reduce data rate and cable count...

journal article 2023

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Measurement of Pipe and Liquid Parameters Using the Beam Steering Capabilities of Array-Based Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flow Meters

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters (UFMs) are installed on the outside of the pipe wall. Typically, they consist of two single-element transducers mounted on angled wedges, which are acoustically coupled to the pipe wall. Before flow metering, the transducers are placed at the correct axial position by manually moving one transducer along the pipe...

journal article 2022

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Multi-angle data acquisition to compensate transducer finite size in photoacoustic tomography

Hakakzadeh, Soheil (author), Mozaffarzadeh, M. (author), Mostafavi, S.. (author), Kavehvash, Zahra (author), Rajendran, Praveenbalaji (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pramanik, Manojit (author)

In photoacoustic tomography (PAT) systems, the tangential resolution decreases due to the finite size of the transducer as the off-center distance increases. To address this problem, we propose a multi-angle detection approach in which the transducer used for data acquisition rotates around its center (with specific angles) as well as around...

journal article 2022

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A Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC With Shared Hybrid Beamforming ADC for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intracardiac Echocardiography

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Ossenkoppele, Boudewine W. (author), Soozande, Mehdi (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Chen, Chao (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

In this article, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for 3-D, high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging probes is presented. The design is the first to combine element-level, high-voltage (HV) transmitters and analog front-ends, subarray beamforming, and in-probe digitization in a scalable fashion for catheter-based probes. The...

journal article 2022

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A Pitch-Matched Low-Noise Analog Front-End With Accurate Continuous Time-Gain Compensation for High-Density Ultrasound Transducer Arrays

Guo, P. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article presents a compact analog front-end (AFE) circuit for ultrasound receivers with linear-in-dB continuous gain control for time-gain compensation (TGC). The AFE consists of two variable-gain stages, both of which employ a novel complementary current-steering network (CCSN) as the interpolator to realize continuously variable gain....

journal article 2022

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A Compact Integrated High-Voltage Pulser Insensitive to Supply Transients for 3-D Miniature Ultrasound Probes

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Soozande, M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

In this letter, a compact high-voltage (HV) transmit circuit for dense 2-D transducer arrays used in 3-D ultrasonic imaging systems is presented. Stringent area requirements are addressed by a unipolar pulser with embedded transmit/receive switch. Combined with a capacitive HV level shifter, it forms the ultrasonic HV...

journal article 2022

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Sparse 2-D PZT-on-PCB Arrays With Density Tapering

Wei, Luxi (author), Boni, Enrico (author), Ramalli, Alessandro (author), Fool, F. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), van der Steen, A.F.W. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Tortoli, Piero (author), de Jong, N. (author), Vos, H.J. (author)

Two-dimensional (2-D) arrays offer volumetric imaging capabilities without the need for probe translation or rotation. A sparse array with elements seeded in a tapering spiral pattern enables one-to-one connection to an ultrasound machine, thus allowing flexible transmission and reception strategies. To test the concept of sparse spiral array...

journal article 2022

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Design and Proof-of-Concept of a Matrix Transducer Array for Clamp-on Ultrasonic Flow Measurements

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Common clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters consist of two single-element transducers placed on the pipe wall. Flow speed is measured noninvasively, i.e., without interrupting the flow and without perforating the pipe wall, which also minimizes safety risks and avoids pressure drops inside the pipe. However, before metering, the transducers have...

journal article 2022

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Algorithm to Correct Measurement Offsets Introduced by Inactive Elements of Transducer Arrays in Ultrasonic Flow Metering

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Ultrasonic flow meters (UFMs) based on transducer arrays offer several advantages. With electronic beam steering, it is possible to tune the steering angle of the beam for optimal signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) upon reception. Moreover, multiple beams can be generated to propagate through different travel paths, covering a wider section of the...

journal article 2022

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Large Matrix Array Aperture for 3D Vascular Imaging Capture

Colas, Quorentin (author), Bantignies, Claire (author), Perroteau, Marie (author), Porcher, Nicolas (author), Vassal, Steeven (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

Three-dimensional ultrasound has initially been used to address volumetric imaging for diagnostic purposes and represents the leading-edge technological orientation in both transducer and IC (integrated circuit) architecture and design. However, new applications are coming up like biomarker measurements, preoperative navigation, real time...

conference paper 2022

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A Tiled Ultrasound Matrix Transducer for Volumetric Imaging of the Carotid Artery

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Fool, F. (author), Mozaffarzadeh, M. (author), Shabanimotlagh, M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Kim, T. (author), Rozsa, N.N.M. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

High frame rate three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging would offer excellent possibilities for the accurate assessment of carotid artery diseases. This calls for a matrix transducer with a large aperture and a vast number of elements. Such a matrix transducer should be interfaced with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for...

journal article 2022

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Acoustic Modulation Enables Proton Detection with Nanodroplets at Body Temperature

Heymans, Sophie V. (author), Collado Lara, G. (author), Rovituso, M. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), D'hooge, Jan (author), de Jong, N. (author), Van Den Abeele, Koen (author)

Superheated nanodroplet (ND) vaporization by proton radiation was recently demonstrated, opening the door to ultrasound-based in vivo proton range verification. However, at body temperature and physiological pressures, perfluorobutane nanodroplets (PFB-NDs), which offer a good compromise between stability and radiation sensitivity, are not...

journal article 2022

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

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Soozande, M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Chen, C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, J.G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

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...

conference paper 2022

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Measurement of Pipe and Fluid Properties with a Matrix Array-based Ultrasonic Clamp-on Flow Meter

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Sabbadini, A. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Current ultrasonic clamp-on flow meters consist of a pair of single-element transducers that are carefully positioned before use. This positioning process consists of manually finding the distance between the transducer elements, along the pipe axis, for which maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is achieved. This distance depends on the sound...

journal article 2021

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Combining ultrafast ultrasound and high-density EMG to assess local electromechanical muscle dynamics: a feasibility study

Waasdorp, R. (author), Mugge, W. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), De Groot, Jurriaan H. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Schouten, A.C. (author), Daeichin, V. (author)

Skeletal muscles generate force, enabling movement through a series of fast electro-mechanical activations coordinated by the central nervous system. Understanding the underlying mechanism of such fast muscle dynamics is essential in neuromuscular diagnostics, rehabilitation medicine and sports biomechanics. The unique combination of...

journal article 2021

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Design of an ultrasound transceiver asic with a switching-artifact reduction technique for 3D carotid artery imaging

Kim, Taehoon (author), Fool, F. (author), Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This paper presents an ultrasound transceiver application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) directly integrated with an array of 12 × 80 piezoelectric transducer elements to enable next-generation ultrasound probes for 3D carotid artery imaging. The ASIC, implemented in a 0.18 µm high-voltage Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (HV BCD) process, adopted a...

journal article 2021

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Finite Transducer Size Compensation in Two-Dimensional Photoacoustic Computed Tomography

Hakakzadeh, Soheil (author), Mozaffarzadeh, M. (author), Mostafavi, Seyed Masood (author), Amjadian, Mohammadreza (author), Kavehvash, Zahra (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

In circular photoacoustic computed tomography, for data acquisition, a single-element transducer rotates around the region of interest (ROI). Due to the limited acceptance angle of the finite size transducer, the reconstructed image becomes blurred, and tangential resolution/contrast degrades in off-center locations in the ROI. In this paper, we...

conference paper 2021

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

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Fool, F. (author), Kim, Taehoon (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

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...

conference paper 2021