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Concentric annular type dual element transducers for second harmonic imaging at 20 MHz / 40 MHz were designed and fabricated to improve spatial resolution and depth of penetration for ophthalmic imaging applications. The outer ring element was designed to transmit the 20 MHz signal and the inner circular element was designed to receive the 40 MHz second harmonic signal. Lithium niobate (LiNbO3,), with its low dielectric constant, was used as the piezoelectric material to achieve good electrical impedance matching. Double matching layers and conductive backing were used and optimized by KLM modeling to achieve high sensitivity and wide bandwidth for harmonic imaging and superior time-domain characteristics. Prototype transducers were fabricated and evaluated quantitatively and clinically. The average measured center frequency for the transmit ring element was 21 MHz and the one-way -3 dB bandwidth was greater than 50%. The 40 MHz receive element functioned at 31 MHz center frequency with acceptable bandwidth to receive attenuated and frequency downshifted harmonic signal. The lateral beam profile for the 20 MHz ring elements at the focus matched the Field II simulated results well, and the effect of outer ring diameter was also examined. Images of a posterior segment of an excised pig eye and a choroidal nevus of human eye were obtained both for single element and dual element transducers and compared to demonstrate the advantages of dual element harmonic imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resonant-ultrasound microscopy with a free-standing rod oscillator has been developed for mapping a material's elastic properties in a localized surface region, for the purpose of evaluating elastic stiffness through the resonance frequency of the oscillator contacting the specimen by its tip. A stronger biasing static magnetic field makes the ferritic steel oscillator plumb without any other mechanical support except tip-sample contact. For a noncontacting acoustical coupling, the longitudinal vibration of the oscillator is excited and detected with a surrounding solenoid coil by the magnetostrictive effect. This freestanding configuration realizes only a mechanical "point" contact between the oscillator and the sample surface, which yields accurate measurement of the local elastic stiffness. As an illustrated example, the new microscopy method is applied to an SCS- 6 SiCf/Ti-6A1-4V composite to visualize its elastic-stiffness distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-axis-oriented ZnO films were sputtered on Langasite substrate (LGS, La3Ga5SiO14). The crystalline structure of the films was determined by grazing incident angle X-ray diffraction, the surface microstructure of films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, the atom composition ratio O/Zn of films was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and the resistivity of films was determined by the four-point probe instrument. The measurement results showed those films prepared were all polycrystalline hexagonal ZnO films. By analyzing the microstructure of the ZnO films, those prepared at the oxygen flow rate (O2/O2+Ar) of 20%, the RF power of 200 W, and the substrate temperature of 200° C had the best performance: highly c-axis- oriented microstructures, dense surface morphology, and the atom composition ratio 1.02. The measured scattering parameters of the SAW device fabricated on the composite substrate (ZnO/LGS) with film thickness 1.76 μm showed an average shifted velocity around 2741 m/s at 57.1 MHz and a electromagnetic coupling coefficient greater than 1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the high frame rate (HFR) imaging method developed in our lab, an extended high frame rate imaging method with various transmission schemes was developed recently. In this method, multiple, limited-diffraction array beams or steered plane wave transmissions are used to increase image resolution and field of view as well as to reduce sidelobes. Furthermore, the multiple, limited-diffraction array beam transmissions can be approximated with square-wave aperture weightings, allowing one or two transmitters to be used with a multielement array transducer to simplify imaging systems. By varying the number of transmissions, the extended HFR imaging method allows a continuous trade-off between image quality and frame rate. Because multiple transmissions are needed to obtain one frame of image for the method, motion could cause phase misalignment and thus produce artifacts, reducing image contrast and resolution and leading to an inaccurate clinical interpretation of images. Therefore, it is important to study how motion affects the method and provide a useful guidance of using the method properly in various applications. In this paper, computer simulations, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to study the effects of motion on the method in different conditions. Results show that a number of factors may affect the motion effects. However, it was found that the extended HFR imaging method is not sensitive to the motions commonly encountered in the clinical applications, as is demonstrated by an in vivo heart experiment, unless the number of transmissions is large and objects are moving at a high velocity near the surface of a transducer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a phase aberration correction method that uses dynamic ultrasound radiation force to harmonically vibrate an object using amplitude modulated continuous wave ultrasound. The phase of each element of an annular array transducer is adjusted to maximize the radiation force and obtain optimal focus of the ultrasound beam. The maximization of the radiation force is performed by monitoring the velocity of scatterers in the focus region. We present theory that shows focal Optimization with radiation force has a well-behaved cost function. Experimental validation is shown by correction of manual defocusing of an annular array as well as correcting for a lens-shaped aberrator placed near the transducer. A Doppler laser vibrometer and a pulse-echo Doppler ultrasound method were used to monitor the velocity of a sphere used as a target for the transducer. By maximizing the radiation force-induced vibration of scatterers in the focal region, the resolution of the ultrasound beam can be recovered after aberration defocusing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B-mode ultrasound images are characterized by speckle artifact, which may make the interpretation of images difficult. One widely used method for ultrasound speckle reduction is the split spectrum processing (SSP), but the use of one-dimensional (1-D), narrow-band filters makes the resultant image experience a significant resolution loss. In order to overcome this critical drawback, we propose a novel method for speckle reduction in ultrasound medical imaging, which uses a bank of wideband 2-D directive filters, based on modified Gabor functions. Each filter is applied to the 2-D radio-frequency (RF) data, resulting in a B-mode image filtered in a given direction. The compounding of the filters outputs give rise to a final image in which speckle is reduced and the structure is enhanced. We have denoted this method as directive filtering (DF). Because the proposed filters have effectively the same bandwidth as the original image, it is possible to avoid the resolution loss caused by the use of narrow-band filters, as with SSP. The tests were carried out with both simulated and real clinical data. Using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to quantify the amount of speckle of the ultrasound images, we have achieved an average SNR enhancement of 2.26 times with simulated data and 1.18 times with real clinical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory and simulations are presented indicating that imaging at the second-harmonic frequency does not solve the problem of ultrasonic wave aberration. The non-linearity of acoustic wave propagation in biological tissue is routinely exploited in medical imaging because the improved contrast resolution leads to better image quality in many applications. The major sources of acoustic noise in ultrasound images are aberration and multiple reflections between the transducer and tissue structures (reverberations), both of which are the result of spatial variations in the acoustic properties of the tissue. These variations mainly occur close to the body surface, i.e., the body wall. As a result, the nonlinearly generated, second harmonic is believed to alleviate both reverberation and aberration because it is assumed that the second harmonic is mainly generated after the body wall. However, in the case of aberration, the second harmonic is generated by an aberrated source. Thus the second harmonic experiences considerable aberration at all depths, originating from this source. The results in this paper show that the second harmonic experiences similar aberration as its generating source, the first harmonic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nondestructive inspection (NDI) based on ultrasound is widely used. A relatively recent development for industrial applications is the use of ultrasonic array technology. Here, ultrasonic beams generated by array transducers are controlled by a computer. This makes the use of arrays more flexible than conventional single-element transducers. However, the inspection techniques have principally remained unchanged. As a consequence, the properties of these techniques, as far as characterization and sizing are concerned, have not improved. For further improvement, in this paper we apply imaging theory developed for seismic exploration of oil and gas fields on the NDI application. Synthetic data obtained from finite difference simulations is used to illustrate the principle of imaging. Measured data is obtained with a 64-element linear array (4 MHz) on a 20-mm thick steel block with a bore hole to illustrate the imaging approach. Furthermore, three examples of real data are presented, representing a lack of fusion defect, a surface breaking crack, and porosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-field signal-redundancy (NFSR) algorithms for phase-aberration correction have been proposed and experimentally tested for linear and phased one- dimensional arrays. In this paper the performance of an all-row-plus-two-column, two-dimensional algorithm has been analyzed and tested with simulated data sets. This algorithm applies the NFSR algorithm for one-dimensional arrays to all the rows as well as the first and last columns of the array. The results from the two column measurements are used to derive a linear term for each row measurement result. These linear terms then are incorporated into the row results to obtain a two-dimensional phase aberration profile. The ambiguity phase aberration profile, which is the difference between the true and the derived phase aberration profiles, of this algorithm is not linear. Two methods, a trial-and-error method and a diagonal-measurement method, are proposed to linearize the ambiguity profile. The performance of these algorithms is analyzed and tested with simulated data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In echocardiography, especially in 3D echocardiography, achieving high frame rates is a major challenge. A suggested solution is parallel receive beamforming. Without any compensation, this approach is known to produce block-like artifacts, where each block corresponds to one parallel receive group. In this work, in vitro imaging, in vivo imaging, and simulations were used to investigate the artifacts. In vitro, imaging a tissue phantom, the artifacts were successfully compensated for. However, in vivo, imaging the heart, the compensation techniques no longer sufficed and the artifacts persisted. With in vivo imaging, aberrating tissue layers are present between the heart and the probe. To investigate the effects of aberration on a parallel receive system, an in vitro experiment was performed with and without a silicon phase aberrator in front of the probe. The aberrator caused the artifacts to appear even when compensation techniques were applied. Simulations confirmed the measured results and indicated that distorted beam profiles and decorrelation between parallel receive groups caused the artifacts. To quantify the magnitude of the artifacts, a correlation-based indicator was developed. The indicator separated images with and without artifacts and confirmed that the artifacts appeared from the combination of parallel receive beams and aberration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Techniques based on the nonlinearly generated second harmonic signal (tissue harmonic imaging) have rapidly supplanted linear (fundamental) imaging methods as the standard in two-dimensional echocardiography. Enhancements to the compactness of the nonlinearly generated second harmonic (2f) field component with respect to the fundamental (1f) field component are widely considered to be among the factors contributing to the observed image quality improvements. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of phase and amplitude aberrations resulting from propagation through an inhomogeneous tis- sue, on the beamwidths associated with: the fundamental (if); the nonlinearly generated second harmonic (2f); and the linearly propagated, effective apodization signal at the same (2f) frequency. Modifications to the transmit characteristics of a phased-array imaging system were validated with hydrophone measurements. Results demonstrate that the characteristics of the diffraction pattern associated with the linear-propagation effective apodization transmit case were found to be in good agreement with the detailed spatial characteristics of the nonlinearly generated second harmonic field. The effects of the abdominal wall tissue aberrators are apparent for all three of the beam profiles studied. Consistent with the improved image quality associated with harmonic imaging, the aberrated nonlinearly generated second harmonic beam was shown to remain more compact than the corresponding aberrated fundamental beam patterns in the presence of the interposed aberrator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new two-dimensional (2-D) speckle tracking method for displacement estimation based on the gradients of the magnitude and phase of 2-D complex correlation in a search region is presented. The novelty of this approach is that it couples the phase and magnitude gradients near the correlation peak to determine its coordinates with subsample accuracy in both axial and lateral directions. This is achieved with a minimum level of lateral interpolation determined from the angles between the magnitude and phase gradient vectors on the sampled (laterally interpolated) 2-D cross-correlation grid. The key result behind this algorithm is that the magnitude gradient vectors' final approach to the true peak is orthogonal to the zero-phase contour. This leads to a 2-D robust projection on the zero-phase contour that results in subsample accuracy at interpolation levels well below those needed using previously proposed methods. A full description of the 2-D, phase-coupled approach is given, including two implementations based on a geometric projection and constrained optimization. In addition, a robust fast search algorithm that allows the localization of the true peak without the need for exhaustive search is given. Experimental validation on three data sets from speckle-generating phantoms undergoing uniform diagonal motion, uniform axial deformation, and nonuniform lateral flow is given. It is shown that estimated 2-D displacement fields obtained using the phase-coupled technique display a full range of values covering the dynamic range without evidence of quantization. In comparison, a previously published method using 1-D phase-projection after lateral interpolation produces severely quantized lateral displacement fields (at the same levels of interpolation as the 2-D, phase-coupled method). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a method on how to design an infrared monochromatic system based on an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) is introduced. Some key problems about optical system (including collimation of incident light beam and working distance—the shortest distance to separate the zero order light and the diffracted light) are researched and solved. The driving circuit for an AOTF based on Direct Digital Synthesis and a Digital Signal Processor is also introduced. The experimental results show a direct proportional relationship between the wave number of diffracted light and the driving frequency. The monochromatic system has a wave number range of 2000–4000 cm-1 and the spectral half-width is 20 cm-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new method for the visualization of two-dimensional (2-D) blood flow in ultrasound imaging systems called blood flow imaging (BFI). Conventional methods of color flow imaging (CFI) and power Doppler (PD) techniques are limited as the velocity component transversal to the ultrasound beam cannot be estimated from the received Doppler signal. The BFI relies on the preservation and display of the speckle pattern originating from the blood flow scatterer signal, and it provides qualitative information of the blood flow distribution and movement in any direction of the image. By displaying speckle pattern images acquired with a high frame rate in slow motion, the blood flow movement can be visually tracked from frame to frame. The BFI is easily combined with conventional CFI and PD methods, and the resulting display modes have been shown to have several advantages compared to CFI or PD methods alone. Two different display modes have been implemented: one combining BFI with conventional CFI, and one combining BFI with PD. Initial clinical trials have been performed to assess the clinical usefulness of BFI. The method especially has potential in vascular imaging, but it also shows potential in other clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variance reduction factor is defined to describe the rate of convergence and accuracy of spectra estimated from overlapping ultrasonic scattering volumes when the scattering is from a spatially uncorrelated medium. Assuming that the individual volumes are localized by a spherically symmetric Gaussian window and that centers of the volumes are located on orbits of an icosahedral rotation group, the factor is minimized by adjusting the weight and radius of each orbit. Conditions necessary for the application of the variance reduction method, particularly for statistical estimation of aberration, are examined. The smallest possible value of the factor is found by allowing an unlimited number of centers constrained only to be within a ball rather than on icosahedral orbits. Computations using orbits formed by icosahedral vertices, face centers, and edge midpoints with a constraint radius limited to a small multiple of the Gaussian width show that a significant reduction of variance can be achieved from a small number of centers in the confined volume and that this reduction is nearly the maximum obtainable from an unlimited number of centers in the same volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speckle noise is an inherent property of medical ultrasound imaging, and it generally tends to reduce the image resolution and contrast, thereby reducing the diagnostic value of this imaging modality. As a result, speckle noise reduction is an important prerequisite, whenever ultrasound imaging is used for tissue characterization. Among the many methods that have been proposed to perform this task, there exists a class of approaches that use a multiplicative model of speckled image formation and take advantage of the logarithmical transformation in order to convert multiplicative speckle noise into additive noise. The common assumption made in a dominant number of such studies is that the samples of the additive noise are mutually uncorrelated and obey a Gaussian distribution. The present study shows conceptually and experimentally that this assumption is oversimplified and unnatural. Moreover, it may lead to inadequate performance of the speckle reduction methods. The study introduces a simple preprocess- ing procedure, which modifies the acquired radio-frequency images (without affecting the anatomical information they contain), so that the noise in the log-transformation domain becomes very close in its behavior to a white Gaussian noise. As a result, the preprocessing allows filtering methods based on assuming the noise to be white and Gaussian, to perform in nearly optimal conditions. The study evaluates performances of three different, nonlinear filters- wavelet denoising, total variation filtering, and anisotropic diffusion-and demonstrates that, in all these cases, the proposed preprocessing significantly improves the quality of resultant images. Our numerical tests include a series of computer-simulated and in vivo experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a laser optical technique that allows the detection of in-plane motion of Lamb waves. This interference-based laser optical technique includes a tiny square indentation with a width of about 30 µ on the sample surface and a relatively simple optical arrangement. The current technique is applied for the detection of in-plane motions of Lamb waves propagating in a 70-µ thick brass plate. Measurement of S0 mode dominated by in-plane motion in the low fd (frequency times thickness) regime is successfully demonstrated with the current technique. With the indentation replaced by a microreflector in a microelectromechanical (MEMS) structure, this technique is applicable for the detection of in-plane motion in MEMS structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three experimental techniques are used in this study to access the influence of the electrode arrangement on the resonant characteristics of piezoceramic disks. These methods, including the amplitude-fluctuation electronic speckle pattern interferometry (AF-ESPI), laser Doppler vibrometer-dynamic signal analyzer (LDV-DSA), and impedance analysis, are based on the measurement of full-field displacement, pointwise displacement, and electric impedance, respectively. In this study, one full electrode design and three nonsymmetrical partial electrode designs of piezoelectric disks are investigated. Because the clear fringe patterns measured by the AF-ESPI method will be shown only at resonant frequencies, both the resonant frequencies and the corresponding vibration mode shapes are successfully obtained at the same time for out-of-plane and in-plane motions. The second experimental method is the impedance analysis, which is used to measure the resonant and anti-resonant frequencies. In addition to these experimental methods, LDV-DSA is used to determine the resonant frequencies of the vibration mode with out-of-plane motion. From the experimental results, the dependence of electrode design on the vibration frequencies and mode shapes is addressed. Numerical computations based on the finite element method are presented, and the results are compared with the experimental measurements. The effect of different designs of electrode is more significant in the in-plane modes than that in the out-of-plane modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonmechanical scanning method has been developed for the visualization of the in-plane mode shapes of piezoelectric devices with polished surfaces. By taking into account the reflection versus laser-wavelength characteristics of the material of the electrodes, the in-plane motion can be measured even if the surface of the measurement plane is polished like a mirror. This method is based on laser speckle interference and two-dimensional correlation filtering that effectively enhance the mode-shape visualization for bulk and surface acoustic wave devices. Although this method cannot directly measure absolute displacement, the simple measurement system and high speed measurement more than offset this disadvantage. The experimental results for fundamental thickness-shear and nearby inharmonic modes in a bimesa-shaped rectangular AT-cut quartz resonator have been presented. The results of the experiments and the analyses obtained by the three-dimensional finite element analyses correlate well and show the advantages and validity of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the optical generation of ultrasound as an alternative to piezoelectricity for high-frequency arrays. Definition of an array element by the size and location of a laser beam focused on a suitable surface; Optical generation using the thermoelastic effect; Radiation pattern measurements.

The fidelity of a coherent link between optical and microwave frequencies is largely determined by noise processes in a mode-locked femtosecond laser. This work presents an experimental study of the noise properties of a Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser. It includes measurements of pulse repetition rate fluctuations and shot noise exhibited by the Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser. Based on the results of noise measurements, the fractional frequency stability of a microwave signal produced by the femtosecond laser has been evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike conventional ultrasound contrast agents with a diameter of several microns, in this paper we explore the use of submicron contrast agents for the detection and localization of lymph nodes. The submicron agents are gas-filled, double-walled microspheres that rupture when exposed to ultrasound energy at megahertz frequencies. In this study, three experimental systems are combined with model predictions to assist in understanding the response of these unique agents to a range of signal transmission parameters. Optical experimental results for each agent delineate the relative expansion as a function of acoustical peak negative pressure, pulse length, and center frequency. The optical images demonstrate an order of magnitude expansion in radius during the pulse rarefaction, in which the expansion magnitude is dependent on the transmitted pressure and frequency. Simulations using a modified Rayleigh-Plesset model predict an increasing relative expansion for the microbubbles (initial bubble radius ranging from 0.31.3 μm) with increasing pressure and decreasing initial radius. Acoustically recorded frequency spectra reveal the presence of harmonics for a range of transmitted pulses. In addition, in-vivo results from a normal canine model demonstrate marked contrast enhancement of first order lymph nodes. We hope to offer an alternative to present intra-operative procedures for sentinel node detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the optical frequency discriminators using fringe-side Farby-Perot cavities studying their sensitivity to laser frequency fluctuations, with particular attention to their amplitude-noise immunity. Measurement setups for detection of the laser frequency fluctuations using the discriminating effect of a Fabry-Perot cavity; Details on amplitude noise sensivity; Amplitude noise sensitivity to frequency noise discrimination ratios.

Presents a technique that determines the optical absorption coefficient through analysis of laser-generated plate waves. Uses of laser generated ultrasound; Theory used in the formulation of the problem of pulsed laser irradiation of an elastic plate; Experimental setup use to determine the optical coefficient.

The quality factor (Q) of a solidly mounted bulk acoustic wave resonator (SMR) is limited by substrate losses, because the acoustic mirror is traditionally optimized to reflect longitudinal waves only. We propose two different design approaches derived from optics to tailor the acoustic mirror for effective reflection of both longitudinal and shear waves. The first one employs the stopband theory in optics; the second one takes advantage of the periodic nature of reflection spectra in a Bragg reflector: the diffraction grating design approach. The optimized design using stopband theory reaches a calculated minimum transmission of ߝ25 dB and ߝ20 dB at resonance frequency for longitudinal and shear waves, respectively, for various practical reflector material combinations. Using the diffraction grating approach, a near quarter-wave performance is maintained for longitudinal waves, whereas shear waves reach minimum transmission below ߝ26 dB. However, this design does necessitate relatively thick layers. The experimental results show good agreement with finite element models (FEM). The extracted 1-D Q for the realized shear optimized devices was increased to around 3300. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]