This paper presents an ultrasound transceiver application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed for 3-D ultrasonic imaging of the carotid artery. This application calls for an array of thousands of ultrasonic transducer elements, far exceeding the number of channels of conventional imaging systems. The 3.6 x 6.8 mm² ASIC interfaces a piezo-electric transducer (PZT) array of 24 x 40 elements, directly integrated on top of the ASIC, to an imaging system using only 24 transmit and receive channels. Multiple ASICs can be tiled together to form an even bigger array. The ASIC, implemented in a 0.18 μm high-voltage (HV) BCD process, consists of a reconfigurable switch matrix and row-level receive circuits. Each element is associated with a compact bootstrapped HV transmit switch, an isolation switch for the receive circuits and programmable logic that enables a variety of imaging modes. Electrical and acoustic experiments successfully demonstrate the functionality of the ASIC. In addition, the ASIC has been successfully used in a 3-D imaging experiment.

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Accurate assessment of carotid artery disease by measuring blood flow, plaque deformation and pulse wave velocity using ultrasound (US) imaging requires 3D information. Additionally, the volume rates should be high enough (> 1 kHz) to capture the full range of these fast transient phenomena. For this purpose, we have built a programmable, tileable matrix array that is capable of providing 3D US imaging at such volume rates. This array contains an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) right beneath the acoustic piezo-stack (see Fig. 1a). The ASIC enables fast programmable switching between various configurations of elements connected to the acquisition system. This design also allows for expanding the footprint by tiling several of these arrays together into one large array. We explain the working principles and show the first basic imaging results of a single matrix array.

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Real-time 3D ultrasonic imaging requires a matrix of transducer elements with a number of elements that readily exceeds the number of channels of a conventional imaging system. This paper presents an ASIC, realized in a
high-voltage 0.18 μm BCDMOS process, that interfaces a piezo-electric transducer array of 24 × 40 elements, directly integrated on top of the ASIC, to an imaging system using only 24 transmit and receive channels by means of a reconfigurable switch matrix and row-level low-noise amplifiers. Each element is associated with a compact bootstrapped high-voltage transmit/receive switch and programmable logic that enables a variety of imaging modes to be realized. The ASIC has been successfully used in a 3D imaging experiment.@en

Accurate assessment of carotid artery disease by measuring blood flow, plaque deformation and pulse wave velocity using ultrasound imaging requires 3D information. Additionally, the volume rates should be high enough (> 1 kHz) to capture the full range of these fast transient phenomena. For this purpose, we have built a programmable, tileable matrix array that is capable of providing 3D ultrasound imaging at such volume rates. This array contains an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) right beneath the acoustic piezo-stack. The ASIC enables fast programmable switching between various configurations of elements connected to the acquisition system via a number of channels far smaller than the number of transducer elements. This design also allows for expanding the footprint by tiling several of these arrays together into one large array. We explain the working principles and show the first basic imaging results of a 2-by-1 tiled array.

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Intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging can visualize the coronary atherosclerotic plaque composition on the basis of the optical absorption contrast. Most of the photoacoustic (PA) energy of human coronary plaque lipids was found to lie in the frequency band between 2 and 15 MHz requiring a very broadband transducer, especially if a combination with intravascular ultrasound is desired. We have developed a broadband polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) transducer (0.6 × 0.6 mm, 52 μm thick) with integrated electronics to match the low capacitance of such a small polyvinylidene difluoride element (<5 pF/mm2) with the high capacitive load of the long cable (∼100 pF/m). The new readout circuit provides an output voltage with a sensitivity of about 3.8 μV/Pa at 2.25 MHz. Its response is flat within 10 dB in the range 2 to 15 MHz. The root mean square (rms) output noise level is 259 μV over the entire bandwidth (1–20 MHz), resulting in a minimum detectable pressure of 30 Pa at 2.25 MHz.@en

This paper presents a custom-designed single-cable readout IC for the reception of the broadband photoacoustic (PA) signal in intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging. The readout IC is intended for direct integration behind a broadband polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) transducer in an IVPA catheter tip to match the impedance between the small PVDF element and the connecting cable. The capability of the readout IC to work with a single cable that combines the output signal and the power supply ensures the mechanical flexibility of the IVPA catheter. Electrical measurements show that the readout IC provides a flat frequency response from 1 MHz to 20 MHz with a 6 mA external current supply. The acoustical measurements involving the readout IC and the PVDF transducer demonstrate a 60 dB dynamic range, a sensitivity of 3.8 μV/Pa at 2.25 MHz, and a broad receiving bandwidth from 2 MHz to 15 MHz. @en