A High Sensitivity 20-MHz Endoscopic Transducer With Integrated Miniature Amplifier

Abstract

Endoscopic transducer with small size and high frequency has been widely studied and applied in medical ultrasound imaging. However, attenuation affects high frequency ultrasound waves to a greater degree than lower frequency waves, which results in limited endoscopic ultrasound detection depth and poor signal-to-noise ratio in the image. High sensitivity transducer is an effective way to improve this problem. In this paper, a high sensitivity endoscopic ultrasound transducer (HSEUST) with an integrated miniature amplifier was proposed, where the amplifier can effectively enhance the received ultrasound signal and reduce the impact of noise. According to the tests and experimental results, this sensor is about 4 times more in sensitive, 20% more in resolution than conventional endoscopic transducer. With high sensitivity, this transducer holds the potential for visualization of deeper tissue in the body with high resolution, which will greatly expand the application capabilities and fields of endoscope ultrasound imaging.

Amplifiers in Biomedical Engineering: A Review from Application Perspectives

“…A common problem related to this device is the lower signal-to-noise ratio in the image at high-frequency ultrasound waves. To tackle this problem, in [ 48 ] a high-sensitivity transducer with an integrated miniature amplifier was presented. The proposed amplifier can reduce the noise results and provide an enhanced potential for visualizing the deeper tissue of the human body.…”

“… The general structure of proposed transducer ( top ) with configuration of proposed amplifier ( bottom ) [ 48 ]. …”

Gain characteristics of distributed fiber optic parametric amplifier

“…An all-optical amplifier is a device that amplifies optical signals by optical methods [1] . Compared to conventional optical amplifiers, all-optical amplifiers do not require an optical conversion process, thus enabling more efficient and reliable signal amplification [2] [3] . The main applications of all-optical amplifiers include Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA), Fiber Raman Amplifier (FRA), Erbium-doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) and FOPA.…”