Highly-integrated guidewire vascular ultrasound imaging system-on-a-chip

To produce real-time images for the cardio-vascular interventions, in this study, we present a highly integrated guidewire ultrasound imaging system-on-a-chip (GUISoC) implemented in 0.18-pm high voltage (HV) CMOS process which requires three wires for the interconnection. The system generates high voltage pulses exciting a capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) array in transmit mode and captures echo signals scattered from the imaging medium in receive mode. Quadrature sampler down-converts 25–38 MHz echo signals from 12-elements CMUT array to baseband, and I/Q signals are multiplexed through a 2-m long 52-AWG coaxial cable. The 3 mm ² GUISoC is powered and clocked through three wires, while consuming 25.2 mW and 46 mW at 1.8 V and 46 V supplies, respectively.