Design and fabrication of broadband graded ultrasonic transducers with rectangular kerfs.
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.
Guo
Hongkai
H
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
Cannata
Jonathan M
JM
Zhou
Qifa
Q
Shung
K Kirk
KK
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