Three-Dimensional Printed Piezoelectric Array for Improving Acoustic Field and Spatial Resolution in Medical Ultrasonic Imaging

Piezoelectric arrays are widely used in non-destructive detecting, medical imaging and therapy. However, limited by traditional manufacturing methods, the array’s element is usually designed in simple geometry such as a cube or rectangle, restricting potential applications of the array. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zeyu Chen, Xuejun Qian, Xuan Song, Qiangguo Jiang, Rongji Huang, Yang Yang, Runze Li, Kirk Shung, Yong Chen, Qifa Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-02-01
Series:Micromachines
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/10/3/170
Description
Summary:Piezoelectric arrays are widely used in non-destructive detecting, medical imaging and therapy. However, limited by traditional manufacturing methods, the array’s element is usually designed in simple geometry such as a cube or rectangle, restricting potential applications of the array. This work demonstrates an annular piezoelectric array consisting of different concentric elements printed by Mask-Image-Projection-based Stereolithography (MIP-SL) technology. The printed array displays stable piezoelectric and dielectric properties. Compared to a traditional single element transducer, the ultrasonic transducer with printed array successfully modifies the acoustic beam and significantly improves spatial resolution.
ISSN:2072-666X