Knowledge About Medical Sonography Probe

1. The piezoelectric effect of sonography probes

The sonography probe is an indispensable key part of the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. The sonography probe can not only transform the electric signal into an ultrasound signal, but also transform the ultrasound signal into an electric signal, that is, it has the dual functions of ultrasound transmission and reception.

The core of sonography probe is piezoelectric crystal or composite piezoelectric material. The transducer used in the early ultrasonic probe is a crystal with piezoelectric effect. Using high molecular polymer piezoelectric material as the transducer, it has the characteristics of frequency bandwidth, low impedance, softness and easy processing.

The current sonography probe has begun to use composite materials composed of ceramics and high molecular polymers. There are some special crystals in nature. When they are deformed by external force, they will generate electric charges on the surface of the crystal to form a voltage. This effect is called piezoelectric effect, and this kind of crystal is called piezoelectric crystal.

2. Medical piezoelectric materials for sonography probes

The piezoelectric crystal (vibrator) is the core component of the ultrasonic transducer. Piezoelectric crystals can be divided into natural and artificial. Quartz crystal is a natural piezoelectric material, but it is expensive and the performance index is not consistent. The piezoelectric materials currently used are basically artificial piezoelectric crystals.

The structure and type of the medical sonography probe, as well as the conditions of the external excitation pulse parameters, working and focusing methods, have a great relationship with the shape of the ultrasound beam it emits, and also have a great relationship with the performance, function and quality of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus. The transducer array element material has little relationship with the shape of the ultrasonic beam; however, the piezoelectric efficiency, sound pressure, sound intensity and imaging quality of its transmission and reception have a greater relationship.

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