ST adds 32-channel ultrasound transmitter

STMicroelectronics has expanded its family of ultrasound transmitters with the addition of a 32-channel version with high output current for handheld scanners. The new ultrasound transmitter, the STHVUP32, provides ±800 mA for portable systems that require extra drive capability for a coaxial cable-mounted probe.

(Source: STMicroelectronics)

The 32-channel version joins the 64-channel STHVUP64 and is comprised of similar features to increase performance and integration in high-performance scanners for medical and industrial applications. These include features to improve image quality, built-in digital beam steering, a space-saving driver architecture and low power consumption.

For optimized image quality, the STHVUP32 provides a five-level output capability, in addition to the common three-level output. ST said the high output current allows driving the scanner’s piezoelectric transducer at high speed to enable multiple imaging modes, while helping to achieve a minimum pulse duration of 5 ns for higher image detail. For greater flexibility, the transmitter supports continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed-wave (PW) operating modes to handle a variety of analysis including cavities and liquid flow.

The built-in digital beam steering offers a couple of benefits. It enhances directional control by permitting greater precision than conventional analog steering using delay circuits and it saves space and routing complexity by integrating the beam-steering logic, enabling the transmitter to be used without a companion chip such as an FPGA, said ST.

Another new feature is the transmitter’s self-biased driver architecture that saves connecting decoupling capacitors to the transmitter’s power-supply pins, which delivers a smaller footprint. Other key features include on-chip memory for storing transmission patterns, and synchronization using a clock signal up to 200 MHz to enhance image quality by minimizing jitter and a communication port that supports multiple CMOS signaling standards.

Built-in protection includes noise blocking, thermal protection, under-voltage protection and recirculating current protection. A diagnostic register allows for directly reading the causes of interrupts to ease debugging in the event of a malfunction, said ST.

The STHVUP32, housed in a 168-ball FC-BGA168 package (11.5 × 10.5 × 1.35 mm), is in production now. The device is priced at $84 each for orders of 1,000 units.