Transducers in medical ultrasound: Part One. Ferro-electric ceramics versus polymer piezoelectric materials.

A wide variety of transducer shapes and applications exists in the field of diagnostic ultrasound. As a basic material ferro-electric ceramics are used almost exclusively, but polymer piezoelectric material seems a new alternative. By comparing in a qualitative way the most relevant parameters of these materials, a state of the art judgement may be made about their applicability in diagnostic ultrasound.