Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer is described. The ultrasonic transducer comprises a membrane and a substrate disposed opposite the membrane such that a cavity is formed therebetween. The substrate comprises an electrode region and pedestals protruding from a surface of the substrate and having a height greater than a height of the electrode region, the pedestals being electrically isolated from the electrode region.

Abstract: The systems and methods for capturing images using ultrasound and in particular, systems that provide an ultrasound probe having a two-dimensional (2D) array of ultrasound transducers elements. The systems leverage the 2D array of transducer elements to achieve beam steering over the generated ultrasound signals. The system applies beam steering to generate multiple ultrasound signals which are, in sequence, transmitted across the elevational dimension of the 2D transducer array and at different angles of orientation. Each transmission in the sequence can be treated as a slice of a final image (whether still or video) that can be presented on a display. The final image is generated by image processing the multiple different slices of images to join the images slices together into a composite image. The joined images may be presented on a display to the user. Optionally, the joined images may be presented as a video of images made by sweeping the ultrasound beam over an anatomical target.

Abstract: The systems and methods for generating a three-dimensional (3D) model of an imaging target of an ultrasound scan. In one aspect, an ultrasound device having a two-dimensional (2D) flat array of micromachined ultrasound transducers can utilize beam steering to take a series of ultrasound images at a range of angles along an axis. The images may be collected, analyzed and processed to generate a 3D model of the subject matter from the series of images. The system can then display, to a user, a view of the imaging target from a point of view other than the point of view at which the target was originally imaged.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer device includes an electrode, a membrane separated from the electrode by a cavity between the membrane and the electrode, a patterned membrane support layer that defines a size and shape of the cavity and that is disposed between the electrode and the membrane, and vias that electrically connect the electrode to a substrate. The vias are disposed in the ultrasound transducer device such that less than 50% of the vias overlap with a support surface of the patterned membrane support layer, in a plan view.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer device made by a process that includes the steps of forming depositing a first layer on a substrate, depositing a second layer on the first layer, patterning the second layer at a region corresponding to a location of a transducer cavity, depositing a third layer that refills regions created by patterning the second layer, planarizing the third layer to a top surface of the second layer, removing the second layer, conformally depositing a fourth layer over the first layer and the third layer, defining the transducer cavity in a support layer formed over the fourth layer; and bonding a membrane to the support layer.

Abstract: Micromachined ultrasonic transducers having pressure ports are described. The micromachined ultrasonic transducers may comprise flexible membranes configured to vibrate over a cavity. The cavity may be sealed, in some instances by the membrane itself. A pressure port may provide access to the cavity, and thus control of the cavity pressure. In some embodiments, an ultrasound device including an array of micromachined ultrasonic transducers is provided, with pressure ports for at least some of the ultrasonic transducers. The pressure ports may be used to control pressure across the array.

Abstract: An ultrasound device is described. The ultrasound device comprises a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). The CMUT comprises a membrane, a substrate, a cavity disposed between the membrane and the substrate, wherein the cavity comprises a bottom surface adjacent to the substrate, and non-uniform pedestals protruding from the bottom surface of the cavity into the cavity and towards the membrane.

Abstract: An ultrasound system includes: an ultrasound device having a two-dimensional array of ultrasound transducers; and a smartphone or tablet in operative communication with the ultrasound device. The ultrasound system is configured to: collect multiple sets of ultrasound data from multiple regions within the subject; detect fetal heartbeat signals and uterine contraction signals; monitor a fetal heartbeat signal among the fetal heartbeat signals by automatically steering an ultrasound beam to a first region among the multiple regions within the subject to collect first further ultrasound data from the first region based on a quality of the fetal heartbeat signal; and monitor a uterine contraction signal among the uterine contraction signals by automatically steering the ultrasound beam to a second region among the multiple regions within the subject to collect second further ultrasound data from the second region based on a quality of the uterine contraction signal.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to techniques for calculating, during imaging, a quality of a sequence of images collected during the imaging. Calculating the quality of the sequence of images may include calculating a probability that a medical professional would use a given image for clinical evaluation and a confidence that an automated analysis segmentation performed on the given image is correct. Techniques described herein also include receiving a trigger to perform an automatic measurement on a sequence of images, calculating a quality of the sequence of images, determining whether the quality of the sequence of images exceeds a threshold quality, and performing the automatic measurement on the sequence of images based on determining that the quality of the sequence of images exceeds the threshold quality.

Abstract: A variable current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for an ultrasound device is described. The TIA may be coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an output signal of the ultrasonic transducer representing an ultrasound signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. During acquisition of the ultrasound signal by the ultrasonic transducer, one or more current sources in the TIA may be varied.

Abstract: Ultrasound devices are disclosed. The ultrasound devices have an elevational dimension. Different percentages of the aperture of the ultrasound device corresponding to different percentages of the elevational dimension are utilized in different applications. The resolution of imagine may be adjusted in connection with usage of different percentages of the aperture.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to built-in self-testing (BIST) of circuitry (e.g., a pulser or receive circuitry) and/or transducers in an ultrasound device. A BIST circuit may include a transconductance amplifier coupled between a pulser and receive circuitry, a capacitor network coupled between a pulser and receive circuitry, and/or a current source couplable to the input terminal of receive circuitry to which a transducer is also couplable. The collapse voltages of transducers may be characterized using BIST circuitry, and a bias voltage may be applied to the membranes of the transducers based at least in part on their collapse voltages. The capacitances of transducers may also be measured using BIST circuitry and a notification may be generated based on the sets of measurements.

Abstract: A method includes: determining, by a host device, a predetermined path including a first tilt from which a target anatomical view is available and a second tilt from which the target anatomical view is not available, where the predetermined path has a pivot of fewer than 180 degrees about an anatomical area; instructing, by the host device, an operator to pivot an ultrasound device along the predetermined path by displaying a display on the host device; receiving a first ultrasound image depicting the target anatomical view and a second ultrasound image not depicting the target anatomical view based on ultrasound data collected by the ultrasound device while pivoting along the predetermined path; and identifying that the first ultrasound image depicts the target anatomical view. The predetermined path is determined prior to collecting the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure described herein related to packaging an ultrasound-on-a-chip. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an ultrasound-on-a-chip that has through-silicon vias (TSVs) and an interposer coupled to the ultrasound-on-a-chip and including vias, where the ultrasound-on-a-chip is coupled to the interposer such that the TSVs in the ultrasound-on-a-chip are electrically connected to the vias in the interposer. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an ultrasound-on-a-chip having bond pads, an interposer that has bond pads and that is coupled to the ultrasound-on-a-chip, and wirebonds extending from the bond pads on the ultrasound-on-a-chip to the bond pads on the interposer.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer is described. The ultrasonic transducer comprises a membrane and a substrate disposed opposite the membrane such that a cavity is formed therebetween. The substrate comprises an electrode region and pedestals protruding from a surface of the substrate and having a height greater than a height of the electrode region, the pedestals being electrically isolated from the electrode region.

Abstract: A method of forming an ultrasonic transducer device includes forming and patterning a film stack over a substrate, the film stack comprising a metal electrode layer and a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) stop layer formed over the metal electrode layer; forming an insulation layer over the patterned film stack; planarizing the insulation layer to the CMP stop layer; measuring a remaining thickness of the CMP stop layer; and forming a membrane support layer over the patterned film stack, wherein the membrane support layer is formed at thickness dependent upon the measured remaining thickness of the CMP stop layer, such that a combined thickness of the CMP stop layer and the membrane support layer corresponds to a desired transducer cavity depth.

Abstract: To implement a single-chip ultrasonic imaging solution, on-chip signal processing may be employed in the receive signal path to reduce data bandwidth and a high-speed serial data module may be used to move data for all received channels off-chip as digital data stream. The digitization of received signals on-chip allows advanced digital signal processing to be performed on-chip, and thus permits the full integration of an entire ultrasonic imaging system on a single semiconductor substrate. Various novel waveform generation techniques, transducer configuration and biasing methodologies, etc., are likewise disclosed. HIFU methods may additionally or alternatively be employed as a component of the “ultrasound-on-a-chip” solution disclosed herein.

Abstract: Ultrasound devices are described. The ultrasound devices may be flexibly configured to output a certain number of multilines per channel of ultrasound data and to process certain channels of ultrasound data per processing cycle. The ultrasound device may then be configured to either output more multilines per channel and process fewer channels per processing cycle, or output fewer multilines per channel and process more channels per processing cycle. In other words, the circuitry may be configured to change to a configuration with increased resolution and increased processing time or to a configuration with decreased resolution and decreased processing time.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein related to controlling, using control circuitry, modulation circuitry to modulate and delay first ultrasound data generated by first ultrasound transducers positioned at a first azimuthal position of an ultrasound transducer array of an ultrasound device and second ultrasound data generated by second ultrasound transducers positioned at a second azimuthal position of the ultrasound transducer array of the ultrasound device, such that the first ultrasound data is delayed by a first delay amount and the second ultrasound data is delayed by a second delay amount that is different from the first delay amount. The first and second ultrasound data received from the modulation circuitry may be filtered and summed. The ultrasound transducer array, the control circuitry, the modulation circuitry, the filtering circuitry, and the summing circuitry may be integrated onto a semiconductor chip or one or more semiconductor chips packaged together.

Abstract: A method includes: determining, by a host device, a predetermined path including a first tilt from which a target anatomical view is available and a second tilt from which the target anatomical view is not available, where the predetermined path has a pivot of fewer than 180 degrees about an anatomical area; instructing, by the host device, an operator to pivot an ultrasound device along the predetermined path by displaying a display on the host device; receiving a first ultrasound image depicting the target anatomical view and a second ultrasound image not depicting the target anatomical view based on ultrasound data collected by the ultrasound device while pivoting along the predetermined path; and identifying that the first ultrasound image depicts the target anatomical view. The predetermined path is determined prior to collecting the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image.