Flat HIFU transducer with a sawtooth-shaped ultrasound radiation face

Abstract

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) transducers are spherically-curved in order to obtain a high intensity gain of the converged ultrasound energy at the geometrical focus. Ultrasound imaging devices monitor the procedure of HIFU treatment in ultrasound-guided HIFU systems where the image probe is positioned at the apex of the HIFU transducer, which has a spherical surface. However, the remote image probe’s location yields a poor image quality compared to that obtained using conventional ultrasound imaging where the image probe is in direct contact with the surface. A phased array HIFU transducer with a new structure is suggested to overcome this limitation. The centers of the array elements are distributed over the flat surface of the transducer. However, the elements are tilted to form a geometrical focus, like a transducer with a spherically-curved surface, to obtain a high focal gain. The cross-section of the ultrasound radiation face of the transducer resembles the teeth of a saw. The acoustic field emitted from this transducer was simulated in order to design and produce the transducer. The simulation was compared with the measured sound field to verify that the transducer was correctly manufactured and designed; subsequently, the acoustic power was measured, and ultrasound images were obtained through the installation of an image probe on the transducer, which confirmed the application of this transducer to HIFU treatment.