access icon free Phase-apodisation technique to extend depth of field for high-frequency ultrasound imaging

© The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Received 14/09/2013, Published
Errata or comment

The quality of focusing in high-frequency ultrasound imaging is significantly affected by the length of the depth of field (DOF). A dual-concentric transducer combined with a phase-apodisation scheme is presented to achieve the extended DOF maintaining signal-to-noise ratio. As a preliminary study, computational simulation by using a Field-II program is conducted to demonstrate the feasibility. A dual-concentric transducer is composed of a disc- and a ring-type element with confocal apertures. When two input signals with 0° and 180° phases are simultaneously applied to the inner and outer elements, a bifocal-zone is generated in the axial direction. The overall − 6 dB DOF is 40% longer compared with a single element transducer. Thus, the proposed scheme can be a potential approach to increase the DOF for high-frequency ultrasound imaging.

Inspec keywords: physics computing; image processing; ultrasonic transducers; ultrasonic imaging; ultrasonic focusing

Other keywords: signal-to-noise ratio; bifocal-zone; focusing; phase-apodisation technique; confocal aperture; dual-concentric transducer; extended DOF; computational simulation; single element transducer; field depth; ring-type element; Field-II program; high-frequency ultrasound imaging; disc-type element

Subjects: Sonic and ultrasonic transducers and sensors; Transduction; devices for the generation and reproduction of sound; Ultrasonics, quantum acoustics, and physical effects of sound; Sonic and ultrasonic applications; Measurement by acoustic techniques; Optical, image and video signal processing; Physics and chemistry computing; Computer vision and image processing techniques

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Correspondence
This article has following corresponding article(s):
a focus on depth