Test Review Flashcards
What is a transducer
The device that generates and recieves US
A transducer converts one form of energy to another; for ultrasound they convert electric energy into sound energy and vice versa
How does piezoelectric effect work
The piezoelectric effect is the formation of an electrical change on the surfaces of the crystal when pressure (mechanical energy) is applied. In pulse echo imaging, this effect occurs when echos return to the transducer and are converted into electric signals
The reverse or converse piezo electric effect is the production of US when an electric signal is applied to the crystal
Give an example of the material used for our crystals
Lead zirconate titanate= PZT. Ceramic material formulated to obtain piezoelectric properties when placed in the presence of a strong electric filed while immersed in a high temp bath
What type of voltage is the transducer driven by
Alternating current is the voltage that drives our transducers, which is the current that runs through residential homes
Whats another name for natural vibrational frequency
Natural freq
Operating freq
Resonance freq
What determines operating freq
The thickness of the piezoelectric crystal determines the transducers natural freq
What freq will a thick element operate at? High or low?
Low freq
What is a dipole
Molecules with a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other end
How does the ceramic cystral get its piezoelectric properties
The ceramic material obtains its piezoelectric properties when placed in the presence of a strong electric field while immersed in a high temperature bath, and then cooled down while still in the presence of the electrical field
What happens if the transducer is heated above the curie point
The dipoles re- orient into their random state and lose their piezoelectric properties
Where is the damping material found
Attached to rear face of the element
What is the job of the damping layer
To reduce the number of cycles in each pulse. Its known as the mechanical pulse damper as it serves primarily to limit SPL and PD
What parameters are effected by damping layer and how
Reduces PD and SPL and improves resolution
Also reduces sensitivity and efffectiveness
Why is the matching layer required
Transducer element is 20x the impedance of the tissues, by itself, this would create a large reflection at the skin and very little waves would be transmitted into the body.
Where is the matching layer located
At the surface of the transducer
What is “self focusing effect” or “natural focus” seen in the beam profile
Self focusing effect is the natural narrowing of the sound beam in a non focused single element transducer
What is the beam profile? Describe it
The ceramic material obtains its piezoelectric properties when placed in the presence of a strong electric field while immersed in a high temperature bath, and then cooled down while still in the presence of the electrical field
What is the near zone? What happens there?
The NZ is the region extending from the element out to the narrowest portion of the sound beam and is characterized by beam convergence
What other names does the near zone go by
Near field and frensel zonw
What determines the Near zone length
The size of the aperature and the operating freq of the element
What is the far zone and what is it characterized by
It sthe sound bea, beyond the narrowest point and is characterized by divergence
Other names of far zone
Far field and fraunhofer zone
What size is the width of the beam at 2x the near zone length
The size of the aperature
Why is focusing of the beam required
Focusing improves resolution. Increases the intensity of the sound beam