Development of the 128-element rectal linear array with piezoceramic composite transducers

Although the production technology of ultrasonic arrays in different companies is similar, achieving the expected parameters lies in technical details, which primarily concern the combination of matching layer materials used. The 128-element rectal linear array with piezoceramic composite transducers was developed as a test of the technology of manufacturing ultrasonic multielement arrays for medical and veterinary diagnostics at the company DRAMIŃSKI S.A. Materials that do not exactly meet the basic criteria for matching their acoustic impedance to soft tissue were used as the two front layers of the array's piezoelectric transducers, and appropriate modifications were made to the thickness of the layers in relation to the quarter-wave criterion, based on calculations using the transducer transfer function. Very good agreement was obtained between the calculations and measurements of the developed array. The parameters of the array are comparable to and for some models better than those of internationally recognised manufacturers.