RF receiver coil with dual resonance frequencies for small animal MRI system

A novel simple design of birdcage type RF receiver coil for using in the ¹H NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) imaging system operating at 1.5 T and 3.0 T has been demonstrated. The RF coil is a band pass type coil composed of legs and end rings and both legs and end rings are made of epoxy-etched copper strips on a single flexible circuit board. The important feature of the coil with multiple resonance frequency is the use of multiple capacitors in each leg of the coil. The coil is capable to resonate at 64 MHz (1.5 T) and 127 MHz (3.0 T) simultaneously. We have analyzed the performance of the coil through simulations and experimental measurements.