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Flexible large-area ultrasound arrays for medical applications made using embossed polymer structures

Author

Listed:
  • Paul L. M. J. Neer

    (TNO)

  • Laurens C. J. M. Peters

    (TNO)

  • Roy G. F. A. Verbeek

    (TNO)

  • Bart Peeters

    (TNO)

  • Gerard Haas

    (TNO)

  • Lars Hörchens

    (TNO)

  • Laurent Fillinger

    (TNO)

  • Thijs Schrama

    (TNO)

  • Egon J. W. Merks-Swolfs

    (TNO)

  • Kaj Gijsbertse

    (TNO)

  • Anne E. C. M. Saris

    (Radboud university medical centre)

  • Moein Mozaffarzadeh

    (Radboud university medical centre)

  • Jan M. Menssen

    (Radboud university medical centre)

  • Chris L. Korte

    (Radboud university medical centre
    Twente University)

  • Jan-Laurens P. J. Steen

    (TNO)

  • Arno W. F. Volker

    (TNO)

  • Gerwin H. Gelinck

    (TNO)

Abstract

With the huge progress in micro-electronics and artificial intelligence, the ultrasound probe has become the bottleneck in further adoption of ultrasound beyond the clinical setting (e.g. home and monitoring applications). Today, ultrasound transducers have a small aperture, are bulky, contain lead and are expensive to fabricate. Furthermore, they are rigid, which limits their integration into flexible skin patches. New ways to fabricate flexible ultrasound patches have therefore attracted much attention recently. First prototypes typically use the same lead-containing piezo-electric materials, and are made using micro-assembly of rigid active components on plastic or rubber-like substrates. We present an ultrasound transducer-on-foil technology based on thermal embossing of a piezoelectric polymer. High-quality two-dimensional ultrasound images of a tissue mimicking phantom are obtained. Mechanical flexibility and effective area scalability of the transducer are demonstrated by functional integration into an endoscope probe with a small radius of 3 mm and a large area (91.2×14 mm2) non-invasive blood pressure sensor.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul L. M. J. Neer & Laurens C. J. M. Peters & Roy G. F. A. Verbeek & Bart Peeters & Gerard Haas & Lars Hörchens & Laurent Fillinger & Thijs Schrama & Egon J. W. Merks-Swolfs & Kaj Gijsbertse & Anne E, 2024. "Flexible large-area ultrasound arrays for medical applications made using embossed polymer structures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-47074-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47074-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hongjie Hu & Hao Huang & Mohan Li & Xiaoxiang Gao & Lu Yin & Ruixiang Qi & Ray S. Wu & Xiangjun Chen & Yuxiang Ma & Keren Shi & Chenghai Li & Timothy M. Maus & Brady Huang & Chengchangfeng Lu & Muyang, 2023. "A wearable cardiac ultrasound imager," Nature, Nature, vol. 613(7945), pages 667-675, January.
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