The device is expected to enable the next generation of ultrasound imaging systems in a small form factor. The ultrasound scanner works on the same principles as radar. A piezoelectric transducer emits a burst of ultrasound waves when stimulated by a high-voltage electrical signal and, in turn, generates a low-voltage electrical signal in response to the echoed reflections of ultrasound waves from soft body tissues.
The role of STHV748 is to provide high-voltage pulses that generate the ultrasound burst and switch to receive mode to detect the echoed signals. The main features of the device include a CW mode pulser for low power and ultra low jitter (down to 20ps), ±2A source and sink current in pulse mode and continuous wave mode, and anti-memory circuitry to improve beam forming accuracy, the company said.
Pat Furlan, market development manager of worldwide medical sector at STMicroelectronics, said: “ST’s SOI-BCD6 technology allows us to combine low-voltage CMOS logic, precise analog circuitry and robust power stages on the same chip, allowing the STHV748 to offer an unprecedented level of integration to the industrial market.
“By integrating the transmit/receive switch, the STHV748 minimizes the number of external components required in applications such as stationary and portable ultrasound scanners, allowing further miniaturization and cost reduction.”
The STHV748 integrates CMOS digital control logic, analog level translators, MOSFET gate drivers and high-power N- and P-channel MOSFET output stages in a fully self-biasing architecture.
