A 256 x 256 2-D array transducer with row-column addressing for 3-D rectilinear imaging.

We present simulation and experimental results from a 5-MHz, 256 x 256 2-D (65,536 elements, 38.4 x 38.4 mm) 2-D array transducer with row-column addressing. The main benefits of this design are a reduced number of interconnects, a modified transmit/receive switching scheme with a simple diode circuit, and an ability to perform volumetric imaging of targets near the transducer with transmit beamforming in azimuth and receive beamforming in elevation. The final dimensions of the transducer were 38.4 mm x 38.4 mm x 300 microm. After a row-column transducer was prototyped, the series resonance impedance was 104 Omega at 5.4 MHz. The measured -6 dB fractional bandwidth was 53% with a center frequency of 5.3 MHz. The SNR at the transmit focus was measured to be 30 dB. At 5 MHz, the average nearest neighbor crosstalk was -25 dB. In this paper, we present 3-D images of both 5 pairs of nylon wires embedded in a clear gelatin phantom and an 8 mm diameter cylindrical anechoic cyst phantom acquired from a 256 x 256 2-D array transducer made from a 1-3 composite. We display the azimuth and elevation B-scans as well as the C-scan for each image. The cross-section of the wires is visible in the azimuth B-scan, and the long axes can be seen in the elevation B-scan and C-scans. The pair of wires with 1-mm axial separation is discernible in the elevational B-scan. When a single wire from the wire target phantom was used, the measured lateral beamwidth was 0.68 mm and 0.70 mm at 30 mm depth in transmit beamforming and receive beamforming, respectively, compared with the simulated beamwidth of 0.55 mm. The cross-section of the cyst is visible in the azimuth B-scan whereas the long axes can be seen as a rectangle in the elevation B-scan and C-scans.