Single-chip CMUT-on-CMOS front-end system for real-time volumetric IVUS and ICE imaging.
Single-chip CMUT-on-CMOS front-end system for real-time volumetric IVUS and ICE imaging.
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DOI：
10.1109/tuffc.2014.6722610
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发表时间：
2014-02
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Degertekin FL
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Gurun G;Tekes C;Zahorian J;Xu T;Satir S;Karaman M;Hasler J;Degertekin FL
具有实时容量超声成像能力的血管内超声（IVUS）和心内超声（ICE）导管可以为许多用于诊断和治疗冠状动脉和结构性心脏病的介入手术提供独特的益处。将CMUT阵列与前端电子器件集成在单芯片配置中，可以实现这种导管探头，降低互连复杂性，小型化和高机械灵活性。我们利用CMUT-on-CMOS技术在0.35µm CMOS工艺的前端IC上制造了一个直径1.4 mm的双环CMUT阵列，实现了一个单芯片前向（FL）超声成像系统。双环阵列在两个独立的同心环形环上具有56个发射元件和48个接收元件。该集成电路为每个发射器集成了一个25v脉冲发生器，为每个接收器集成了一个低噪声电容性跨阻放大器（TIA），以及数字控制和智能电源管理。硅芯片的最终形状是直径1.5 mm的甜甜圈，中间有一个430µm的导丝孔。整个前端系统只需要13个外部连接，提供4个并联RF输出，平均功耗为20 mW。我们测量了集成单芯片阵列的射频扫描，在20.1 MHz和43%的分数带宽下显示出完整的功能。我们还测试并演示了该系统在钢丝模型和离体鸡心脏样本上的图像质量。测得轴向点分辨率为92µm，侧向点分辨率为251µm。我们成功地以每秒60帧的速度获得了离体鸡心脏的体积成像数据，没有任何信号平均。这些证明性的结果表明，单芯片cmos上的cmu系统具有产生实时体积图像的潜力，其图像质量和速度适合导管临床应用。
Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and intracardiac echography (ICE) catheters with real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging capability can provide unique benefits to many interventional procedures used in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and structural heart diseases. Integration of CMUT arrays with front-end electronics in single-chip configuration allows for implementation of such catheter probes with reduced interconnect complexity, miniaturization, and high mechanical flexibility. We implemented a single-chip forward-looking (FL) ultrasound imaging system by fabricating a 1.4-mm-diameter dual-ring CMUT array using CMUT-on-CMOS technology on a front-end IC implemented in 0.35-µm CMOS process. The dual-ring array has 56 transmit elements and 48 receive elements on two separate concentric annular rings. The IC incorporates a 25-V pulser for each transmitter and a low-noise capacitive transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for each receiver, along with digital control and smart power management. The final shape of the silicon chip is a 1.5-mm-diameter donut with a 430-µm center hole for a guide wire. The overall front-end system requires only 13 external connections and provides 4 parallel RF outputs while consuming an average power of 20 mW. We measured RF A-scans from the integrated single-chip array which show full functionality at 20.1 MHz with 43% fractional bandwidth. We also tested and demonstrated the image quality of the system on a wire phantom and an ex-vivo chicken heart sample. The measured axial and lateral point resolutions are 92 µm and 251 µm, respectively. We successfully acquired volumetric imaging data from the ex-vivo chicken heart with 60 frames per second without any signal averaging. These demonstrative results indicate that single-chip CMUT-on-CMOS systems have the potential to produce real-time volumetric images with image quality and speed suitable for catheter based clinical applications.