Smart Ultrasound Probes: Going Digital in the Probe Tip

Activity: Talk or presentationTalk or presentation at a conference

Description

While medical ultrasound imaging is currently mainly done using hand-held probes connected to relatively bulky imaging systems, various new application areas are emerging that call for advanced miniaturized ultrasound devices. Examples include catheters capable of providing real-time 3D images to guide minimally-invasive interventions, and wearable devices for new monitoring and diagnostic applications. In contrast with conventional probes, which contain little or no electronics, these new devices need to become “smart”: integrated circuits need to be integrated into the probe to interface with the many transducer elements (typically 1000+) needed for real-time 3D imaging. This talk discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with integrated circuit design for smart ultrasound probes, focusing on strategies for channel-count reduction and digitization that pave the way towards probes with fully-digital interfaces. The talk will include examples of state-of-the-art designs featuring transducer-on-CMOS integration and pitch-matched circuits for high-voltage pulsing, beamforming and digitization.
Period17 May 2022
Event titleIEEE Sensor Interfaces Meeting 2022
Event typeConference
LocationVeldhoven, NetherlandsShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational