Characterization of Medical Ultrasound Transducers

Optimal use of multi-element ultrasound transducers requires knowledge of the performance of their individual elements, for realistic simulation and optimized beamforming. When developing transducers, it is critical to characterize the performance of the transducer material itself, removing the effect of the transducer element size and geometry. To provide that level of knowledge, a measurement and characterization algorithm was developed and applied on several transducers. The individual elements were characterized consistently along the transducer length, and element spatial deviations were measured with μm precision, confirming the precision of the method.