Towards Integrated Microultrasound Systems

High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) has been gaining traction to achieve high-resolution subsurface images of human tissue. Such capability could be used to locate lesions in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), leading to early diagnosis of GIT disorders, which is directly correlated with a positive outcome of treatment. Hence, it is important to develop system components that aid HFUS development. Accordingly, this paper presents the setup, results and analysis of a pulse-echo test carried out with a custom, highly integrated, low-power pulser and a cross-coupled charge pump (CP). The system was tested with a 28 MHz linear ultrasonic (US) array using a bespoke low-power imaging protocol and the results were compared with a commercial research US system (Vantage
^TM
128, Verasonics
^®
, WA, USA). The results verify the use of an integrated CP as a high-voltage source, as well as the capability of the pulser to generate 20 MHz signals - performance at 28 MHz could not be validated due to excessive ringing during tests. Strong parasitic effects were observed and their importance on efficient transmission is discussed.