Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer device is provided. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic transducer device includes a substrate having a membrane support layer formed on a bottom cavity layer, and an opening in the membrane support layer so as to form a transducer cavity. In some embodiments, the opening comprises a truncated circle shape.

Abstract: Described herein are methods and apparatuses for packaging an ultrasound-on-a-chip. An ultrasound-on-a-chip may be coupled to a redistribution layer and to an interposer layer. Encapsulation may encapsulate the ultrasound-on-a-chip device and first metal pillars may extend through the encapsulation and electrically couple to the redistribution layer. Second metal pillars may extend through the interposer layer. The interposer layer may include aluminum nitride. The first metal pillars may be electrically coupled to the second metal pillars. A printed circuit board may be coupled to the interposer layer.

Abstract: A processing device is coupled to a single ultrasound device having a single array of capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUTs). The processing device generates a graphical user interface (GUI) having user selectable GUI menu options corresponding to respective ultrasound operating modes for the single ultrasound device having the single ultrasound transducer array. The user-selectable GUI menu options include GUI menu options labeled as representing an ultrasound operating mode for musculoskeletal imaging, breast imaging, carotid imaging, vascular imaging, and abdominal imaging, respectively. The processing device further receives, via the GUI, user input indicating selection of one of the ultrasound operating modes, and in response to receiving the user input, provides an indication to the single ultrasound device having the single array of CMUTs to operate in the selected ultrasound operating mode.

Abstract: An ultrasound-on-a-chip device has an ultrasonic transducer substrate with plurality of transducer cells, and an electrical substrate. For each transducer cell, one or more conductive bond connections are disposed between the ultrasonic transducer substrate and the electrical substrate. Examples of electrical substrates include CMOS chips, integrated circuits including analog circuits, interposers and printed circuit boards.

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. The variable-current trans-impedance amplifier may include multiple stages, including a first stage having N-P transistor pairs configured to receive an input signal and produce a single-ended amplified signal.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer device includes: a first insulating layer formed on a first integrated circuit substrate; a second insulating layer formed on the first insulating layer; a third insulating layer formed on the second insulating layer, and a second substrate bonded to the first integrated circuit. A first cavity is formed in the third insulating layer. The second substrate is bonded to the first integrated circuit such that the first cavity is sealed.

Abstract: A method of forming an ultrasound transducer device includes bonding a membrane to a substrate so as to form a sealed cavity between the membrane and the substrate. An exposed surface located within the sealed cavity includes a getter material that is electrically isolated from a bottom electrode of the cavity.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer device includes a patterned film stack disposed on first regions of a substrate, the patterned film stack including a metal electrode layer and a bottom cavity layer formed on the metal electrode layer. The ultrasonic transducer device further includes a planarized insulation layer disposed on second regions of the substrate layer, a cavity formed in a membrane support layer and a CMP stop layer, the CMP stop layer including a top layer of the patterned film stack and the membrane support layer formed over the patterned film stack and the planarized insulation layer. The ultrasonic transducer device also includes a membrane bonded to the membrane support layer. The CMP stop layer underlies portions of the membrane support layer but not the cavity.

Abstract: A method of forming an ultrasonic transducer device involves 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: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for automatically updating scan patterns used during ultrasound imaging. A handheld ultrasound system may include an ultrasound device with a two-dimensional array of ultrasound transducers, and a smartphone or tablet that configures the ultrasound device to obtain a first ultrasound image frame using a scan pattern defining an acoustic beam. The system then updates the scan pattern to optimize a view of the desired anatomy. When the system is operating in cardiac imaging mode, the scan pattern may be updated by adjusting the azimuthal tilt and/or the elevational tilt of the acoustic beam. When the system is operating in lung imaging mode, the scan pattern may be updated by adjusting the elevational tilt and/or the translation of the aperture of the array of ultrasound transducers. The system then configures the ultrasound device to obtain a second ultrasound image frame using the updated scan pattern.

Abstract: Ultrasound devices and methods are described, including a repeatable ultrasound transducer probe having ultrasonic transducers and corresponding circuitry. The repeatable ultrasound transducer probe may be used individually or coupled with other instances of the repeatable ultrasound transducer probe to create a desired ultrasound device. The ultrasound devices may optionally be connected to various types of external devices to provide additional processing and image rendering functionality.

Abstract: Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multi-level pulser is described, which can support time-domain and spatial apodization. The multi-level pulser may be controlled through a software-defined waveform generator. In response to the execution of a computer code, the waveform generator may access master segments from a memory, and generate a stream of packets directed to pulsing circuits. The stream of packets may be serialized. A plurality of decoding circuits may modulate the streams of packets to obtain spatial apodization.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to detecting degrade ultrasound imaging frame rate. Some embodiments include receiving ultrasound data from the ultrasound device, generating ultrasound images from the ultrasound data, taking one or more measurements of ultrasound imaging frame rate based on the ultrasound images, comparing the one or more measurements of ultrasound imaging frame rate to an reference ultrasound imaging frame rate value, and based on a result of comparing the one or more measurements of ultrasound imaging frame rate to the reference ultrasound imaging frame rate value, providing a notification and/or disabling an ultrasound imaging preset and/or an ultrasound imaging mode with which the ultrasound device was configured.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein include a processing device configured to display, on a touch-sensitive display screen of a processing device in operative communication with an ultrasound device, an ultrasound image, a movable measurement tool, and an icon that maintains a fixed distance from a portion of the measurement tool. The icon may be configured to modify the measurement tool, and the icon may not overlap the measurement tool.

Abstract: A method of forming an ultrasonic transducer device includes bonding a membrane to seal a transducer cavity with at least a portion of a getter material layer being exposed, the getter material layer comprising a portion of a bilayer stack compatible for use in damascene processing.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to techniques for guiding an operator to use an ultrasound device. Thereby, operators with little or no experience operating ultrasound devices may capture medically relevant ultrasound images and/or interpret the contents of the obtained ultrasound images. For example, some of the techniques disclosed herein may be used to identify a particular anatomical view of a subject to image with an ultrasound device, guide an operator of the ultrasound device to capture an ultrasound image of the subject that contains the particular anatomical view, and/or analyze the captured ultrasound image to identify medical information about the subject.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to ultrasound imaging of lungs. An ultrasound device may be configured with a set of parameter values associated with a shallow lung imaging mode. A selection of a change in imaging depth may be received. If the selected imaging depth is greater than or equal to a threshold imaging depth, the ultrasound device may be configured with a set of parameter values associated with a deep lung imaging mode. The set of parameter values associated with the shallow lung imaging mode may be optimized for imaging lung sliding and the set of parameter values associated with the deep lung imaging mode may be optimized for imaging A lines and B lines.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to receiving an ultrasound image, automatically determining a location of a specific point on an anatomical structure depicted in the ultrasound image, and displaying an indicator of the location of the specific point on the anatomical structure on the ultrasound image. In some embodiments, the anatomical structure is a bladder. In some embodiments, the specific point is the centroid. In some embodiments, a statistical model determines the specific point. The indicator may be, for example, a symbol located at the specific point, a horizontal line extending through the specific point from one edge of the anatomical structure to another, and/or a vertical line extending through the specific point from one edge of the anatomical structure to another.

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.