Micro-electronic systems for ultrasound
The project aims to develop and integrate new microelectromechanical components for an ultrasound system to enable advanced imaging techniques based on signals from mobile communications. The resulting system will set a new standard for medical ultrasound with its superior image quality.
The use of ultrasound in modern medicine as a non-ionizing diagnostic tool is based on piezocomposite technology for emitting and recording short pulses that enable the visualization of tissue. There are major limitations in terms of resolution, image depth and therefore potential risks for patients during medical procedures. In contrast to discrete technologies, continuous transmission and reception technologies from telecommunications and radar have a superior range and resolution. Innovations in 5G and 6G, the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configurations, have further improved the information gain from such signal modalities for imaging. However, the integration of these complex signal architectures into medical ultrasound diagnostics using piezocomposites is challenging due to insufficient receiver sensitivity and transmitter bandwidth. In addition, conventional processing methods limit the integration into a complete ultrasound system, which limits the development of medical ultrasound and leaves it behind the state of the art.
This research project aims to combine highly sensitive MEMS-based ultrasonic receivers (cMUTs) with high-performance piezoelectric transmitters to improve both bandwidth and sensitivity for continuous transmission methods. The characteristics of currently available components make seamless integration into an overall system difficult and compromise its potential performance. The first focus of this project is therefore the development of essential individual components that are necessary for the implementation of continuous signal methods (TRL 3-4). Subsequently, the components will be integrated into an overall system capable of displaying multiple synchronous transmissions with arbitrarily coded signals via MEMS-based receivers, thus enabling superior imaging capabilities.
Dr. Moritz Herzog
Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health, Dresden University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus
- Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Fettweis |Vodafone Chair for Mobile Communication Systems, TUD Dresden University of Technology
- Claus Dahl | Infineon Technologies Dresden GmbH & Co. KG
- Susan Walter | Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Dresden
- Marco Kircher | Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS, Dresden
- Dominique Schubert | SITEC Industrietechnologie GmbH
- Robert Kirchner | Heteromerge GmbH
- Thorsten Dräger | Exelonix GmbH
- Sebastian Wolfram | WOLFRAM Designer und Ingenieure
