Fabrication and performance of endoscopic ultrasound radial arrays based on PMN-PT single crystal/epoxy 1-3 composite

• Published in: IEEE transactions on ultrasonics, ferroelectrics, and frequency control Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 477 - 484
• Main Authors: Dan Zhou, Kwok Fung Cheung, Yan Chen, Sien Ting Lau, Qifa Zhou, Shung, K K, Hao Su Luo, Jiyan Dai, Chan, H L W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.02.2011; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Acoustics; Active control; Arrays; Biological and medical sciences; Broadband; Couplings; Crystals; Electric Impedance; Endoscopes; Endosonography - instrumentation; Epoxy Compounds - chemistry; Equipment Design; Exact sciences and technology; Frequency measurement; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Impedance; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Lead - chemistry; Lead zirconate titanates; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous. Technology; Niobium - chemistry; Oxides - chemistry; Physics; Single crystals; Titanium - chemistry; Transducers; Transduction; acoustical devices for the generation and reproduction of sound; Ultrasonic investigative techniques; Image resolution; Composite transducer; Pulse echo method; Piezoelectric sensor; Q factor; Lead titanates; Epoxy resin; PZT; Electromechanical coupling; Acoustic impedance; Wide band; Pulse response; Piezocomposite transducer; Insertion loss; Lead magnesium niobate; Magnesium Niobates; Acoustic antenna; Endoscopy; Acoustic image; Active material; Ultrasonic transducer
• ISSN: 0885-3010; 1525-8955
• DOI: 10.1109/TUFFC.2011.1825

In this paper, 0.7Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -0.3PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT) single crystal/epoxy 1/3 composite was used as the active material of the endoscopic ultrasonic radial array transducer, because this composite exhibited ultrahigh electromechanical coupling coefficient (k t = 0.81%), very low mechanical quality factor (Q m = 11) and relatively low acoustic impedance (Z t = 12 MRayls). A 6.91 MHz PMN-PT/epoxy 1/3 composite radial array transducer with 64 elements was tested in a pulseecho response measurement. The -6-dB bandwidth of the composite array transducer was 102%, which was ~30% larger than that of traditional lead zirconate titanate array transducer. The two-way insertion loss was found to be -32.3 dB. The obtained results show that this broadband array transducer is promising for acquiring high-resolution endoscopic ultrasonic images in many clinical applications.