Ultrasonic micro-arrays for imaging the human auditory system

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Ultrasound is a safe, cheap, and reliable method of obtaining real-time images of biological tissue. The resolution of an ultrasound system is primarily determined by the operating frequency of the transducer. High-frequency ultrasound imaging systems have much greater resolution than conventional low-frequency systems and can typically resolve tissue structures between 20 and 100 microns in size at the cost of a limited penetration depth (< 1 cm). In spite of the limited penetration depth, this technology has great potential as an imaging technique for visualizing small sub-surface tissue structures. While high-frequency ultrasound has been successfully applied to intravascular imaging, ophthalmic imaging, and pre-clinical small animal imaging, it has not yet realized its full potential as a routine diagnostic tool. The primary reason for this is that as the transducer operating frequency increases, the dimensions of the ultrasound transducer decreases proportionally, making them extremely difficult to fabricate. If these fabrication issues can be overcome, however, a great improvement in image quality can be obtained over the relatively unsophisticated high-frequency systems that are currently used. This could potentially lead to the routine clinical use of this technology and create many new clinical and commercial opportunities.