Piezoelectric bimorph-driven ultrasound scanner for high frequency ultrasound imaging

Abstract

Ultrasound imaging commonly uses mechanical or electronic scanning methods. However, the mechanical scanning systems are bulky and susceptible to electromagnetic interference, while electronic scanning systems are complex and expensive. A more affordable and compact solution for high frequency preclinical and clinical imaging is single-element transducer based ultrasound imaging. This method offers high spatial resolution with low cost and low complexity. In this study, a novel single-element high frequency ultrasound imaging scanner was introduced. The scanner is based on piezoelectric bimorph drive and designed to be low-cost, compact, and handheld. Tungsten wire phantom imaging was performed on a dedicated ultrasound imaging system, and the obtained results were analyzed and compared. The results demonstrate that piezoelectric bimorph drive allows for high frequency imaging with a scanning speed of up to 208 frames per second. The image quality was higher than that of electromagnetic motor drive. The versatility of the ultrasound imaging system makes it suitable for preclinical and clinical applications, including small animal imaging, ophthalmic imaging, skin imaging, and intraoperative ultrasound imaging.