Forward-Looking Ultrasound Imaging Transducer : II. Fabrication and Experimental Results

The experimental testing results of the large-scale version of a forward-looking ultrasound imaging catheter(FLUIC) are presented, along with the fabrication techniques used, experimental methods, and comparisons of the measured and simulated results. The transducer model is verified by measuring the electrical impedance of the transducer. The pulse width, beamwidth, and the dynamic range for both transmit and pulse-echo response of the fabricated FLUIC are also analyzed. The experimental results conformed its forward-looking imaging capability and the sources of discrepancies between the simulated and experimental beam profiles are addressed.