Application of PMNPT single crystal in a 3.2 MHz phased-array ultrasonic medical imaging transducer

This paper presents the acoustical design, fabrication and evaluation of a 96-element 3.2 MHz phased-array ultrasound transducer for echocardiography probe utilizing Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-30%PbTiO₃ (PMNPT) single crystal. The transducer consisted of a 1-3 PMNPT/epoxy composite with two quarter wave matching layers and a backing. The pulse-echo performance and echo amplitude of our prototypes are found to be superior to a similarly constructed lead zirconate titanate (PZT) array. The increased transducer bandwidth offers significant performance advantages, particularly in penetration and resolution.