Early Results with Sonus' Polymer Transducer
At Sonus, we have taken another significant step towards revolutionizing ultrasound imaging. Our latest engineering prototype of a phased-array ultrasound transducer demonstrates the capability of performing echocardiography using polymer MEMS transducers. Designed with our proprietary Sonus Array Technology (SAT), this early prototype has shown significant potential during acoustic testing, phantom imaging, and live subject scans. When compared side-by-side with a traditional PZT phased-array probe, the images generated by our transducer display clear improvements in resolution and boundary delineation.
In a fair comparison, our polymer transducer was tested against a traditional piezoceramic phased-array probe using an ultrasound research and OEM platform with a 64-channel beamformer by Ursus Medical Designs. The enhanced resolution of Sonus’s engineering prototype is evident in the parasternal long-axis (PLAX) and inferior vena cava (IVC) views. As shown below, Sonus arrays offer sharper details, increased definition, and improved sensitivity to smaller structures, such as the enhanced visibility of the aortic valve and details of the chordae in PLAX images. In the IVC images, subtle details and wall delineation are more apparent with our transducer, along with the enhanced visualization of rouleaux formation inside the vein.
Sonus Array PZT Array
While transducer performance is crucial, overall image quality also depends on several other factors, such as beamformer quality, system signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), wiring, shielding, etc. A side-by-side in-vivo image comparison highlights overall differences and capabilities, however to better benchmark the performance of our polymer transducer, we have fully characterized its electrical and acoustic properties using the ATLAS ultrasound transducer testing system (Acertara Laboratories). The characterization revealed a two-way sensitivity close to -55 dB and a 6dB fractional bandwidth exceeding 100%. These sensitivity levels are comparable to high-end commercial PZT probes and are crucial for the quality and clarity of ultrasound images. A probe with high sensitivity can provide superb resolution, capturing more subtle details of the tissues being imaged. Additionally, a fractional bandwidth above 100% allows our probe to operate over a wider range of frequencies — nearly twice as high as the average ultrasound probes on the market. This richer dataset can significantly improve image resolution and sharpness, especially in applications involving different tissue types.
Why is this important?
This is the first report of a Sonus polymer transducer being used for deep tissue imaging, providing strong evidence that affordable, flexible polymers can be the perfect conduit to revolutionize ultrasound imaging. We remain committed to driving innovation with our flexible, AI-powered ultrasound solutions, and this milestone brings us closer to setting a new standard for diagnostic imaging. Our team continues to work on enhancing image quality through improved electronics, beamformers, and post-processing techniques. More importantly, with these promising results, we are developing AI-powered polymer-based wearable devices to enable efficient patient management, remote monitoring, affordable screening, and improved diagnosis.
Stay tuned as we refine our technology and bring the next generation of ultrasound to life. Check out our previous article on the future of ultrasound.