A 2pA/√Hz Transimpedance Amplifier for Miniature Ultrasound Probes with 36dB Continuous-Time Gain Compensation

📋 论文概要

本文提出了一种用于微型超声探头的跨阻放大器（TIA），实现了2pA/√Hz的低输入噪声和36dB的连续时间增益补偿，以解决超声回波信号因传播衰减而时变的问题。该设计适用于心腔内超声探头等应用，提升了信号质量并减少了电缆数量。

💡 主要创新点

• 提出了一种低噪声跨阻放大器架构，实现2pA/√Hz的噪声性能，适用于微型超声探头阵列。
• 实现了36dB连续时间增益补偿，无需离散时间控制，简化了系统设计并提高了精度。
• 通过集成TIA与增益补偿，减少了外部元件，适用于紧凑的探头ASIC。

📄 原文摘要

ultrasound probes, such as the intra-cardiac echography (ICE) probe shown in Fig. 23.6.1, increasingly employ in-probe ASICs to interface with the elements of an ultrasound transducer array to improve signal quality and reduce cable count [1-4]. For each transducer element, such an ASIC contains a pulser that drives the element to generate a pressure wave, a low-noise amplifier (LNA) that amplifies the resulting echo signal, and a time-gain compensation (TGC) circuit that compensates for the time-varying echo-signal amplitude due to propagation attenuation of the acoustic wave. Without TGC, the first echoes, from shallow tissue, are much larger than later echoes from deeper tissue. The TGC circuit corrects for this, ideally by providing a gain that increases exponentially

👥 作者与机构

Eunchul Kang1, Mingliang Tan1, Jae-Sung An1, Zu-yao Chang1,

Philippe Vince2, Nicolas Sénégond2, Tony Mateo2, Cyril Meynier 2, Michiel Pertijs1 Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands VERMON, Tours, France 1 2 Miniature