A thin film phantom for blood flow simulation and Doppler test.

The thin film phantom is a new type of ultrasound resolution test object. It consists of a thin planar substrate that is acoustically matched to the surrounding media. Precisely located scatterers on the surface of the substrate generate echo signals. The patterning of scatterers on the substrate allows echogenicity to be controlled as a function of position, which enables the production of a test object with highly reproducible and controllable scattering characteristics. We show that by vibrating the substrate in a suitable manner, an echo signal may be generated that simulates bi-directional flow. We demonstrate that a vibration of low amplitude at frequency f0 produces a Doppler spectral signal at f0 and -f0, within the limits of aliasing. Furthermore, by driving the film with a bandlimited noise signal, we illustrate how a velocity distribution may be simulated. A time-varying flow velocity may be simulated by varying the noise bandwidth with time. Finally, using this technique, we demonstrate a system that simulates an arterial flow pattern, including its characteristic velocity distribution in forward and reverse directions simultaneously.