title: Design and fabrication of broadband graded ultrasonic transducers with rectangular kerfs.
abstract: Broadband ultrasound imaging is capable of achieving superior resolution in clinical applications. An effective and easy way of manufacturing broadband transducers is desired for these applications. In this work, a graded material in which the piezoelectric plate is mechanically graded with rectangular grooves is introduced. Finite element analysis (FEA) demonstrated that the graded piezoelectric material could achieve a broadband, time-domain response resulting from multiple resonant modes. Experimental tests were carried out to validate these theoretical results. Based upon the FEA designs, several single-element transducers were fabricated using either a nondiced ceramic or a diced, graded ceramics. A superior bandwidth of 92% was achieved by the graded transducer when compared to a bandwidth of 56% produced by the nondiced ceramic transducer at the expense of a reduced sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health Transducer Resource Center and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1451, USA. hguo@rdinstruments.com
authors.forename: Hongkai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cannata
authors.forename: Qifa
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: K Kirk
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Shung
mesh_terms: D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014159:Transducers; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods