Channel Count Research Articles

First survey of centimeter-scale AC-LGAD strip sensors with a 120 GeV proton beam

We present the first beam test results with centimeter-scale AC-LGAD strip sensors, using the Fermilab Test Beam Facility and sensors manufactured by the Brookhaven National Laboratory. Sensors of this type are envisioned for applications that require large-area precision 4D tracking coverage with economical channel counts, including timing layers for the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), and space-based particle experiments. A survey of sensor designs is presented, with the aim of optimizing the electrode geometry for spatial resolution and timing performance. Several design considerations are discussed towards maintaining desirable signal characteristics with increasingly larger electrodes. The resolutions obtained with several prototypes are presented, reaching simultaneous 18 μm and 32 ps resolutions from strips of 1 cm length and 500 μm pitch. With only slight modifications, these sensors would be ideal candidates for a 4D timing layer at the EIC.

Investigation of MDRZ and DPSK modulation schemes employed in DWDM systems for smart city 5G access networks

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is one of the emerging technologies for data transmission in 5G access network assembly between the antenna unit (AU) and the distribution unit (DU). Here, in this work, we evaluate and analyze a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) — passive optical networks (PONs) employing erbium–ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier (EYDFA) [Formula: see text] Raman hybrid optical amplifier (HOA) using two modulation schemes — modified duobinary return to zero (MDRZ) and differential phase shift keying (DPSK) for alternate channels, where the channel count has been varied from 8 to 40. The system has been analyzed over the wavelength span of 1550–1558.8[Formula: see text]nm with a channel spacing, input power and data rate of 25[Formula: see text]GHz, 0[Formula: see text]dB and 40[Formula: see text]Gb/s, respectively. An average gain, gain ripple and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of 20.87, 0.95 and 30[Formula: see text]dB, respectively have been observed in the case of HOA along with the achievement of Q-factor of up to 9 at the receiving end of the system. The DPSK-modulated channels result in higher values of gain and OSNR along with lower gain ripple as compared to MDRZ channels making the proposed system a good option for 5G access network applications.

New Packaging Technology for 2-dimensional VCSEL Arrays and Their Electro-Optical Performance and Applications

At IMAPS2021, we reported on 1-dimensional VCSEL arrays and the packaging technology developed for these arrays, but this time we present the manufacturing workflow and look at the challenges presented by the packaging of special long-wavelength 2-dimensional vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays in various dimensions. We will show that available packaging technologies for epoxy application by silk screening, die- and wire bonding can be adapted for the unique properties of the 2D VCSEL arrays, delivering high accuracy for production with great overall yield. Proof of the excellent reliability and lifetime will be given through mechanical and electro-optical testing results. The technologies developed for 2D laser arrays will enable new devices for various new applications like high channel count interconnects for data communication and high power VCSEL solutions for 3D sensing. The perfected wire bonding process secured a homogeneous monometallic structure of the wire bonds, a reduced, well defined bond loop height, with sufficient clearance of the bonding wire above the VCSEL surface. Properly set-up manufacturing procedures for the packaging of the VCSEL arrays are necessary to achieve high performance and reliability of the products presented. Processing of large 2D-VCSEL arrays will be part of the paper. 2D arrays have enabled VCSEL technologies to address a wide range of new laser-based sensing applications. VCSEL products vary from laser chips with only a few emitters for proximity sensors up to several thousands of emitters for LiDAR systems. Applications include systems for the automotive, industrial, medical and consumer markets. There is a strong and growing market opportunity for long wavelengths VCSELs, e.g. based on InP material enabling single mode and multi-mode 2D-VCSEL arrays from 1.3 to beyond 2 µm. For 3D sensing systems and free-space optical communication, long wavelength 2D-VCSEL arrays offer improved eye safety and further benefits. The long wavelength VCSELs discussed in this paper can be deployed in a wide range of sensing and optical communication applications.

High resolution, high channel count silicon arrayed waveguide grating router on-chip.

A 32×32 100 GHz silicon photonic integrated arrayed waveguide grating router (AWGR) is experimentally demonstrated for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) applications. The dimension of the AWGR is 2.57 mm×1.09 mm with a core size of 1.31 mm×0.64 mm. It exhibits 6.07 dB maximum channel loss non-uniformity with -1.66 dB best-case insertion loss and average channel crosstalk of -15.74 dB. In addition, in the case of 25 Gb/s signals, the device successfully realizes high-speed data routing. The AWG router provides clear optical eye diagrams and low power penalty at bit-error-rates of 10-9.

Advanced Radio Frequency Applicators for Thermal Magnetic Resonance Theranostics of Brain Tumors

Thermal Magnetic Resonance (ThermalMR) is a theranostic concept that combines diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with targeted thermal therapy in the hyperthermia (HT) range using a radiofrequency (RF) applicator in an integrated system. ThermalMR adds a therapeutic dimension to a diagnostic MRI device. Focused, targeted RF heating of deep-seated brain tumors, accurate non-invasive temperature monitoring and high-resolution MRI are specific requirements of ThermalMR that can be addressed with novel concepts in RF applicator design. This work examines hybrid RF applicator arrays combining loop and self-grounded bow-tie (SGBT) dipole antennas for ThermalMR of brain tumors, at magnetic field strengths of 7.0 T, 9.4 T and 10.5 T. These high-density RF arrays improve the feasible transmission channel count, and provide additional degrees of freedom for RF shimming not afforded by using dipole antennas only, for superior thermal therapy and MRI diagnostics. These improvements are especially relevant for ThermalMR theranostics of deep-seated brain tumors because of the small surface area of the head. ThermalMR RF applicators with the hybrid loop+SGBT dipole design outperformed applicators using dipole-only and loop-only designs, with superior MRI performance and targeted RF heating. Array variants with a horse-shoe configuration covering an arc (270°) around the head avoiding the eyes performed better than designs with 360° coverage, with a 1.3 °C higher temperature rise inside the tumor while sparing healthy tissue. Our EMF and temperature simulations performed on a virtual patient with a clinically realistic intracranial tumor provide a technical foundation for implementation of advanced RF applicators tailored for ThermalMR theranostics of brain tumors.

A birefringent spectral demultiplexer enables fast hyper-spectral imaging of protoporphyrin IX during neurosurgery

Hyperspectral imaging and spectral analysis quantifies fluorophore concentration during fluorescence-guided surgery1–6. However, acquisition of the multiple wavelengths required to implement these methods can be time-consuming and hinder surgical workflow. To this end, a snapshot hyperspectral imaging system capable of acquiring 64 channels of spectral data simultaneously was developed for rapid hyperspectral imaging during neurosurgery. The system uses a birefringent spectral demultiplexer to split incoming light and redirect wavelengths to different sections of a large format microscope sensor. Its configuration achieves high optical throughput, accepts unpolarized input light and exceeds channel count of prior image-replicating imaging spectrometers by 4-fold. Tissue-simulating phantoms consisting of serial dilutions of the fluorescent agent characterize system linearity and sensitivity, and comparisons to performance of a liquid crystal tunable filter based hyperspectral imaging device are favorable. The new instrument showed comparable, if not improved, sensitivity at low fluorophore concentrations; yet, acquired wide-field images at more than 70-fold increase in frame rate. Image data acquired in the operating room during human brain tumor resection confirm these findings. The new device is an important advance in achieving real-time quantitative imaging of fluorophore concentration for guiding surgery.

3-D Coherent Multi-Transducer Ultrasound Imaging with Sparse Spiral Arrays.

Coherent multi-transducer ultrasound (CoMTUS) creates an extended effective aperture through the coherent combination of multiple arrays, which results in images with enhanced resolution, extended field-of-view, and higher sensitivity. The subwavelength localization accuracy of the multiple transducers required to coherently beamform the data is achieved by using the echoes backscattered from targeted points. In this study, CoMTUS is implemented and demonstrated for the first time in 3-D imaging using a pair of 256-element 2-D sparse spiral arrays, which keep the channel count low and limit the amount of data to be processed. The imaging performance of the method was investigated using both simulations and phantom tests. The feasibility of free-hand operation is also experimentally demonstrated. Results show that, in comparison to a single dense array system using the same total number of active elements, the proposed CoMTUS system improves spatial resolution (up to 10 times) in the direction where both arrays are aligned, contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR, up to 46%), and generalized CNR (up to 15%). Overall, CoMTUS shows a narrower main lobe and higher contrast-to-noise ratio, which results in an increased dynamic range and better target detectability.

Performance of a resistive micro-well detector with capacitive-sharing strip anode readout

The present study is carried out to demonstrate a new type of high-performance readout structure with low readout channel count developed for large-area micro pattern gaseous detectors. The structure exploits capacitive coupling between a vertical stack of 5 μ m thick copper pad layers sandwiched between 50 μ m thick polyimide foils to simultaneously transfer and spread the avalanche charges from the gaseous detector’s amplification structure to several strips or pads in the anode readout plane. The unique feature of the lateral spread of the avalanche charge size on several readout strips or pads is possible owing to well-defined configuration and sizes of the pads in layers of the vertical stack. This is known as a “capacitive-sharing” readout structure and this opens the door for high spatial resolution performance with low readout channel counts for large-area Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors. Capacitive-sharing readout structures are fabricated using standard printed circuits boards manufacturing process. The concept is highly versatile as it can easily be implemented in any type of Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector’s amplification structure (Gas Electron Multipliers, micro-mesh gaseous structures, resistive micro-well detectors) and with a wide range of readout patterns (pads, strips, zigzags etc.). The technology also has a high degree of flexibility in terms of readout segmentation (pads or strip) pitch, with minimum impact on spatial resolution performances. The present study provides a detailed description of the capacitive-sharing readout concept and discusses a small resistive micro-well detectors prototype assembled with a two-dimensional capacitive-sharing strip readout structure as a proof of concept and with strip pitch of 800 μ m in both X and Y direction. The prototype was characterized in electron beam in the Hall D Beam Test setup at Jefferson Lab and a spatial resolution of (60 ± 1) μ m was achieved for both X and Y strips with an efficiency of (98.0 ± 0.9) % at the plateau and a signal arrival time jitter between neighboring strips less (6.00 ± 0.04) ns. Finally, we explore new ideas to expand the concept of capacitive-sharing readout structures to large particle detectors for future large scale particle physics experiments.

Preliminary experience of cardiac proton spectroscopy at 0.75 T.

Recent work on high-performance lower-field MR systems has renewed the interest in assessing relative advantages and disadvantages of magnetic fields less than 1 T. The objective of the present work was to investigate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) scaling of point-resolved spectroscopy as a function of field strength and to test the feasibility of proton MRS of triglycerides (TGs) in human in vivo myocardium at 0.75 T relative to 1.5 T and 3 T. Measurements at 0.75 T were obtained by temporarily ramping down a clinical 3 T MR scanner. System configurations at 0.75, 1.5 and 3 T featured identical hard- and software, except for differences in transmit/receive coil geometries and receive channel count, which were accounted for in SNR comparisons. Proton MRS was performed at 0.75 T, 1.5 T and 3 T in ex vivo tissue and in vivo calf muscle to measure T1 and T2 values as a function of field strength, which in turn served as input to simulations of SNR scaling and field-dependent TG fit errors. Preliminary in vivo spectra of myocardium were acquired at 0.75 T, 1.5 T and 3 T in healthy subjects. Measurements of both ex vivo tissue and in vivo muscle tissue at 0.75 T versus 1.5 T and 3 T confirmed decreasing T1 and increasing T2 * for decreasing field strengths. Using measured T1 , T2 and T2 * as input and using field-dependent echo time and bandwidth scaling, simulated Cramér-Rao lower bounds of TG amplitudes at 0.75 T were 2.3 and 4.5 times larger with respect to 1.5 T and 3 T, respectively. In vivo measurements demonstrate that human proton spectroscopy of TGs in cardiac muscle is feasible at 0.75 T, supporting the potential practical value of lower-field high-performance MR systems.

Reviewing braiding indices of the river channel in an attempt to establish alternatives

Complex channel planform especially the dynamics of the multi-thread river is empirically examined using the three major dimensions – bar growth, channel length and channel count. To this end, many indices have been proposed to deal with the complex channel response in the context of sediment-energy synergistic scenarios. The existing methods are primarily concerned with the linear or 1D nature of the channel and bar. The present study introduced the areal or 2-D nature of the channel and bar to capture a more realistic picture because, with same length, area of the bar may differ greatly. Therefore, we proposed four indices on channel braiding taking into consideration the area of the channel and bar. We tested our indices to the 28 reaches of the Damodar River, India that showed a significant correlation (∼80%) with the existing standard method. The major highlights of the methods are outlined as follows.•Four novel indices were proposed considering the linear and areal dimensions of the channel and bar.•Proposed indices focus on the unit-free measures with known limits enabling pragmatic comparison with self and other channels.•New methods were tested using field data implying a significant correlation with the existing methods.

Manufacturing Processes of Implantable Microelectrode Array for In Vivo Neural Electrophysiological Recordings and Stimulation: A State-Of-the-Art Review.

Electrophysiological recording and stimulation of neuron activities are important for us to understand the function and dysfunction of the nervous system. To record/stimulate neuron activities as voltage fluctuation extracellularly, microelectrode array (MEA) implants are a promising tool to provide high temporal and spatial resolution for neuroscience studies and medical treatments. The design configuration and recording capabilities of the MEAs have evolved dramatically since their invention and manufacturing process development has been a key driving force for such advancement. Over the past decade, since the White House Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative launched in 2013, advanced manufacturing processes have enabled advanced MEAs with increased channel count and density, access to more brain areas, more reliable chronic performance, as well as minimal invasiveness and tissue reaction. In this state-of-the-art review paper, three major types of electrophysiological recording MEAs widely used nowadays, namely, microwire-based, silicon-based, and flexible MEAs are introduced and discussed. Conventional design and manufacturing processes and materials used for each type are elaborated, followed by a review of further development and recent advances in manufacturing technologies and the enabling new designs and capabilities. The review concludes with a discussion on potential future directions of manufacturing process development to enable the long-term goal of large-scale high-density brain-wide chronic recordings in freely moving animals.

NEURALLINK

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) hold promise for the restoration of sensory and motor function and the treatment of neurological disorders, but clinical BCIs have not yet been widely adopted, in part because modest channel counts have limited their potential. Inthis white paper, we describe Neuralink’s first steps toward a scalable high-bandwidth BCI system. We have built arrays of small and flexible electrode “threads”, with as manyas 3,072 electrodes per array distributed across96 threads. We have also built a neurosurgical robot capable of inserting six threads (192 electrodes) per minute. Each thread can be individually inserted into the brain with micron precision for avoidance of surface vasculature and targeting specific brain regions. The electrode array is packaged into a small implantable device that contains custom chips for lowpower on-board amplification and digitization: the package for 3,072 channels occupiesless than (23 × 18.5 × 2) mm3. A single USB-Cable provides full-bandwidth data streaming from the device, recording from all channels simultaneously. This system has achieved a spiking yield of up to 85.5 % inchronically implanted electrodes. Neuralink’s approach to BCI has unprecedented packaging density and scalability in a clinically relevant package.

Quasi-equilibrium channel metamorphosis in planform of a subtropical river in India in post-dam period

A basic fluvio-dynamics process in the sediment-energy fluxes is channel meandering and braiding. The construction of dams and barrages has primarily altered the meandering and braiding patterns of the world's large rivers. To this end, the present study aims to analyze post-dam planform characteristics of the Damodar River, a subtropical river in India, based on the analysis of meander geometry, Mueller’s sinuosity index, braiding index, channel count index, and channel length index during the last 50 years (1970–2020) using topographical maps and satellite images. The study also intends to forecast channel meandering and braiding characteristics for 2030 and 2050 using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. The study results show that between 1970 and 2020, the standard sinuosity index (SSI) showed a larger tendency to meander in the middle of the river than the upper and lower courses owing to hydraulic control, while the lower and upper courses were controlled by topographic factors. Similarly, channel braiding indices (BI*, BI, and Pt) exhibit swelling in the upper and middle courses followed by a gradual fall in the lower stretch. The building of dams, the presence of lineaments, faults, and other anthropogenic controls primarily regulate the physical planform characteristics of the river. Regarding allometry, the river's upper segments exhibit both positive and negative allometry in certain combinations, whereas the lower segments primarily exhibit negative allometry. The study demonstrates that over the past 50 years, overall channel meandering has slightly decreased while braiding has slightly increased over time, indicating a quasi-equilibrium channel metamorphosis. However, the prediction with higher accuracy (80–95 %) shows that the river meandering and braiding (BI* and BI) will increase in the short run (2030), and decrease in the long (2050). The study findings may be helpful for the various planners and stakeholders involved in the development of the river basin.

Time Series Recovery Using Adjacent Channel Data Based on LSTM: A Case Study of Subway Vibrations

Multi-sensor technology has been widely applied in the condition monitoring of rail transit. In practice, the data of some channels in the high channel counts are often abnormal or lost due to the abnormality and damage of the sensors, thus resulting in a large amount of data waste. A method for the data recovery of lost channels by using adjacent channel data is proposed to solve this problem. Based on the LSTM network algorithm, a data recovery model is established based on the “sequence-to-sequence” regression analysis of adjacent channel data. Taking the measured vibration data of a subway as an example, the network is trained with multi-channel measured data to recover the lost channel data of time-series characteristics. The results show that this multi-channel data recovery model is feasible, and the accuracy is up to 98%. This method can also further reduce the number of channels that need to be collected.

Nanophotonic Cavity Based Synapse for Scalable Photonic Neural Networks

The bandwidth and energy demands of neural networks has spurred tremendous interest in developing novel neuromorphic hardware, including photonic integrated circuits. Although an optical waveguide can accommodate hundreds of channels with THz bandwidth, the channel count of photonic systems is always bottlenecked by the devices within. In WDM-based photonic neural networks, the synapses, i.e. network interconnections, are typically realized by microring resonators (MRRs), where the WDM channel count ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$</tex-math></inline-formula> ) is bounded by the free-spectral range of the MRRs. For typical Si MRRs, we estimate <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N \leq 30$</tex-math></inline-formula> within the C-band. This not only restrains the aggregate throughput of the neural network but also makes applications with high input dimensions unfeasible. We experimentally demonstrate that photonic crystal nanobeam based synapses can be FSR-free within C-band, eliminating the bound on channel count. This increases data throughput as well as enables applications with high-dimensional inputs like natural language processing and high resolution image processing. In addition, the smaller physical footprint of photonic crystal nanobeam cavities offers higher tuning energy efficiency and a higher compute density than MRRs. Nanophotonic cavity based synapse thus offers a path towards realizing highly scalable photonic neural networks.

A Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC With Shared Hybrid Beamforming ADC for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intracardiac Echocardiography

In this article, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for 3-D, high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging probes is presented. The design is the first to combine element-level, high-voltage (HV) transmitters and analog front-ends, subarray beamforming, and in-probe digitization in a scalable fashion for catheter-based probes. The integration challenge is met by a hybrid analog-to-digital converter (ADC), combining an efficient charge-sharing successive approximation register (SAR) first stage and a compact single-slope (SS) second stage. Application in large ultrasound imaging arrays is facilitated by directly interfacing the ADC with a charge-domain subarray beamformer, locally calibrating interstage gain errors and generating the SAR reference using a power-efficient local reference generator. Additional hardware-sharing between neighboring channels ultimately leads to the lowest reported area and power consumption across miniature ultrasound probe ADCs. A pitch-matched design is further enabled by an efficient split between the core circuitry and a periphery block, the latter including a datalink performing clock data recovery (CDR) and time-division multiplexing (TDM), which leads to a 12-fold total channel count reduction. A prototype of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$8{\times }9$ </tex-math></inline-formula> elements was fabricated in a TSMC 0.18- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> HV BCD technology and a 2-D PZT transducer matrix with a pitch of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$160 \mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , and a center frequency of 6 MHz was manufactured on the chip. The imaging device operates at up to 1000 volumes/s, generates 65-V transmit pulses, and has a receive power consumption of only 1.23 mW/element. The functionality has been demonstrated electrically as well as in acoustic and imaging experiments.

Hybrid-Integrated Comb Source With 16 Wavelengths

Comb sources and multi-wavelength lasers can be used as central sources of light in many communication systems using high channel count wavelength division multiplexing. Here, we demonstrate a 16 wavelengths comb source built through large scale hybrid integration of 16 active gain chips with a passive silica chip that incorporates a 16 channel arrayed waveguide grating. Optical coupling between the 16 gain chips and the silica chip is achieved through 32 ball lenses (two per channel), that are aligned and attached in place with an automated process that we developed. The 16 channels have 100 GHz spacing and are centered in the C-band. We show monomode lasing, both in single-channel and multi-channel operation, with side mode suppression ratio as high as, respectively, 67 dB and 55 dB. The total output power of our comb source is about 17.9 dBm when all the 16 channels are activated simultaneously. The channels of our multi-wavelength laser have very narrow Lorentzian linewidths, with best value as narrow as 880 Hz and worst value of about 3.6 kHz. Our comb source integrates hybridly a large number of optical components, however thanks to the parallel architecture and the possibility of packaging the lenses with an automated process, our integration approach can be scaled to an even higher number of channels.

NeuralTree: A 256-Channel 0.227-μJ/Class Versatile Neural Activity Classification and Closed-Loop Neuromodulation SoC.

Closed-loop neural interfaces with on-chip machine learning can detect and suppress disease symptoms in neurological disorders or restore lost functions in paralyzed patients. While high-density neural recording can provide rich neural activity information for accurate disease-state detection, existing systems have low channel counts and poor scalability, which could limit their therapeutic efficacy. This work presents a highly scalable and versatile closed-loop neural interface SoC that can overcome these limitations. A 256-channel time-division multiplexed (TDM) front-end with a two-step fast-settling mixed-signal DC servo loop (DSL) is proposed to record high-spatial-resolution neural activity and perform channel-selective brain-state inference. A tree-structured neural network (NeuralTree) classification processor extracts a rich set of neural biomarkers in a patient- and disease-specific manner. Trained with an energy-aware learning algorithm, the NeuralTree classifier detects the symptoms of underlying disorders (e.g., epilepsy and movement disorders) at an optimal energy-accuracy trade-off. A 16-channel high-voltage (HV) compliant neurostimulator closes the therapeutic loop by delivering charge-balanced biphasic current pulses to the brain. The proposed SoC was fabricated in 65nm CMOS and achieved a 0.227μJ/class energy efficiency in a compact area of 0.014mm2/channel. The SoC was extensively verified on human electroencephalography (EEG) and intracranial EEG (iEEG) epilepsy datasets, obtaining 95.6%/94% sensitivity and 96.8%/96.9% specificity, respectively. In-vivo neural recordings using soft μECoG arrays and multi-domain biomarker extraction were further performed on a rat model of epilepsy. In addition, for the first time in literature, on-chip classification of rest-state tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD) from human local field potentials (LFPs) was demonstrated.

Picosecond Timing Electronics for a DIRC-Like Detector at the Super Tau-Charm Facility

The DIRC-like time-of-flight detector (DTOF) at the Super Tau-Charm Facility (STCF) in China is a Cherenkov light detector that uses the TOF technique to identify charged particles. To achieve the expected target that provides a <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3\sigma \pi $ </tex-math></inline-formula> /K separation at 2-Ge/c momentum, a single-photon time resolution of better than 50 ps is required, while the contribution from electronics should be lower than 15 ps. To meet the requirements with high channel count integration, the timing electronics using leading-edge discrimination and field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based time-to-digital converters (TDCs) are employed in the DTOF detector. This article reports the results of the first phase of project where the timing electronics with 128 channels has been constructed and its performance has been evaluated. Including the uncertainty of system clock distribution and synchronization, the intrinsic timing resolution of the electronics is better than 10-ps rms. Taking fast microchannel plate photomultiplier tubes (MCP-PMTs) as Cherenkov photodetectors and adopting time-over-threshold (TOT) measurement for time walk correction, the measured single-photon time resolutions are better than 40-ps rms. The test results confirm that the proposed timing electronics has advantages of high precision and high integration, which is highly demanded in future picosecond timing detectors.

Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Localization Microscopy with Bipartite Graph-Based Microbubble Pairing and Kalman-Filtering-Based Tracking on a 256-Channel Verasonics Ultrasound System with a 32 × 32 Matrix Array

PurposeThree-dimensional (3D) ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) using a 2-D matrix probe and microbubbles (MBs) has recently been proposed to visualize microvasculature in three spatial dimensions beyond the ultrasound diffraction limit. However, 3D ULM has several limitations, including: (1) high system complexity, (2) complex MB flow dynamics in 3D, and (3) extremely long acquisition time that had to be addressed.MethodTo reduce the system complexity while maintaining high image quality, we used a sub-aperture process to reduce received channel counts. To address the second issue, a 3D bipartite graph-based method with Kalman filtering-based tracking was used in this study for MB tracking. An MB separation approach was incorporated to separate high concentration MB data into multiple, sparser MB datasets, allowing better MB localization and tracking for a limited acquisition time.ResultsThe proposed method was first validated in a flow channel phantom, showing improved spatial resolutions compared with the contrasted enhanced power Doppler image. Then the proposed method was evaluated with an in vivo chicken embryo brain dataset. Results showed that the reconstructed 3D super-resolution image achieved a spatial resolution of around 52 μm (smaller than the wavelength of around 200 μm).ConclusionA lower system complexity of 3D ULM has been proposed. In addition, our proposed 3D ULM provided the capability of 3D motion compensation and MB tracking. Microvessels that cannot be resolved clearly using localization only, can be well identified with the proposed method.