High frequency GaN-based pulse generator with active T/R switch circuit

High frequency ultrasound systems capable of high spatial resolution are commonly used for small biological structures imaging and non-destructive testing. For transducers operating around 50MHz central frequency, excitation pulses with amplitude of several tens of Volts and 100V/ns slew rate are needed. Different solutions have been proposed to isolate the receive Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) from the transmission signal (T/R switch). This paper proposes a high frequency transmit (TX) circuit with a T/R switch capable of overcoming the typical limitations of previous solutions.