Fig. 4: Ultrasound images of the commercial phantom and their evaluation.
From: Silicon nanocolumn-based disposable and flexible ultrasound patches
The optical photograph of the conventional CMUT probe (a) and the disposable snCMUT patch (b) on the top surface of the commercial phantom with ultrasound gel. The blue and red boxes indicate the visible area of the phantom by conventional CMUT and disposable snCMUT patches, respectively. c B-mode images of the conventional CMUT probe in the vertical group and anechoic target of the commercial phantom. The conventional CMUT was operated with a DC bias voltage of 70 V, complemented by 30.6 VPP and 6.25 MHz of AC wave. B-mode images of the disposable snCMUT patch in the vertical group and anechoic target (d) and the axial-lateral resolution array (e) of the commercial phantom. The snCMUT was operated with a DC bias voltage of 40 V, complemented by 8.9 VPP and 4.25 MHz of AC wave. f, Intensity of vertical group targets as a function of the imaging depth of conventional CMUT and snCMUT. All values are expressed in a.u., which denotes arbitrary units. Axial (g) and lateral (h) resolutions of the vertical group targets along the imaging depth compared between PZT-based commercial ultrasound probe, conventional CMUT, and snCMUT. Data are presented as means ± standard deviation (n = 4 independent experiments). i Contrast of B-mode images as a function of the imaging depth of conventional CMUT and snCMUT. Compared to the conventional CMUT probe, the disposable snCMUT patch offers enhanced contrast and the ability to image deeper regions, thanks to its high transmission efficiency. Data are presented as means ± standard deviation (n = 4 independent experiments). All values are expressed in a.u., which denotes arbitrary units.
