Ultrasonic Microtransducer for Intravascular Imaging

描述（由申请人提供）： 心血管疾病是当今美国人的头号杀手，心脏病发作是其最明显的标志。新的医学发现表明，心脏病发作主要是由未被发现的易损斑块引起的。血管内超声（IVUS）成像是识别易损斑块的一种有前途的方法，但目前最先进的换能器是未聚焦的，带宽窄，导致分辨率不足。SBIR I/II期项目的最终目标是开发一种可安装在IVUS导管上的聚焦超声微换能器，用于识别易损斑块。SBIR第一阶段项目的目标是开发一种微电子兼容工艺，用于制造微型聚焦聚合物超声换能器，并表征其成像性能。MEMS（微机电系统）技术将用于原型成型聚合物超声换能器。将使用标准超声测试工具和方案来表征探头在生理盐水中的性能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of Americans today and heart attacks are its most visible sign. New medical discoveries now show that heart attacks are primarily caused by undetected vulnerable plaques. Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) imaging is a promising approach to the identification of vulnerable plaque, but current state-of-the-art transducers are unfocused and have narrow bandwidth, resulting in insufficient resolutions. The ultimate objective of the combined SBIR Phase I/ll program is the development of a focused ultrasonic microtransducer that can be mounted onto an IVUS catheter for identification of vulnerable plaque. The goal of the SBIR Phase I project is to develop a microelectronics-compatible process for the fabrication of miniature, focused polymer ultrasonic transducers and characterize their imaging performance. MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology will be used to prototype shaped polymer ultrasonic transducers. Standard ultrasonic testing tools and protocols will be used to characterize the transducer performance in saline.