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An in-probe receiver amplifier with 3 dB noise figure and 50 dB dynamic range for medical ultrasound imaging using CMUTs

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Abstract

This paper presents the design and measurements of an in-probe receiver amplifier for ultrasound imaging applications using a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). In such applications, the noise and the dynamic range play very important roles, as the former dictates the minimum input signal level and the latter defines the maximum input signal level that can be applied to a system. This work concentrates on both of these specifications. The amplifier consists of a transimpedance amplifier followed by a voltage gain stage implemented using a current feedback amplifier. It is designed and fabricated using a 180 nm CMOS process. A noise figure of 3 dB is measured for a CMUT model with 10–30 MHz frequency range. The amplifier shows a dynamic range of 50 dB with 0.8 % total harmonic distortion for the full scale input current of 7 µA peak-to-peak.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the help of Tore Barlindhaug during the PCB preparation and setting up the lab for all of the measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Trondheim, Norway

    Surya Sharma & Trond Ytterdal

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  1. Surya Sharma
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  2. Trond Ytterdal
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Correspondence to Surya Sharma.

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Sharma, S., Ytterdal, T. An in-probe receiver amplifier with 3 dB noise figure and 50 dB dynamic range for medical ultrasound imaging using CMUTs. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 80, 187–193 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-014-0303-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-014-0303-3

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