Continuing our celebration of the IEEE UFFC Test of Time Award, we highlight Part II of the landmark study by Prof. Jørgen Arendt Jensen and Prof. Erik Vilain Thomsen, published 10 years ago.
In this second paper, the authors presented the fabrication, characterization, and experimental validation of a 62×62 element capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) Row-Column Array with integrated apodization—the concept first introduced in Part I. The array, fabricated using a five-step lithography process, demonstrated outstanding performance with a 102% fractional bandwidth, precise beam characteristics, and effective reduction of imaging artifacts.
Experimental imaging of a 0.3 mm wire confirmed excellent agreement with simulations, while the integrated apodization achieved a ghost echo reduction of up to 16–19 dB, validating the concept’s practical benefits.
This work marked a pivotal milestone in the realization of high-performance, 3D Row-Column ultrasound imaging, translating theoretical innovation into tangible hardware and inspiring a decade of research and development in volumetric imaging.
https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/3-d-imaging-using-row-column-addressed-arrays-with-integrated-apo
