Beamforming with pMUTs in medical ultrasound imaging

The primary aim of this thesis is to advance the field of medical ultrasound imaging by enhancing the capabilities of piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (pMUTs) to improve ultrasound image quality and diagnostic accuracy. This project addresses key challenges in current ultrasound imaging techniques using pMUTs, particularly the issues of low acoustic pressure generation and high levels of electrical noise. To overcome these challenges, the research focuses on developing innovative signal pre-processing methods and novel post-processing algorithms that enhance signal coherence, SNR, and spatial resolution of reconstructed images without increasing computational load. Additionally, the project seeks to implement a novel actuation scheme to address the limitations of classical actuation schemes, such as poor lateral resolution and insufficient noise suppression. The project aims to test and benchmark the performance of traditional and novel pre-processing methods, image reconstruction algorithms, and actuation schemes. This will be done using simulated data and experimental setups in immersion. The approach seeks to validate the real-world applicability and effectiveness of these techniques in a simulated intra-body environment.