Medical imaging

Medical ultrasound is a powerful diagnostic modality that is utilized for imaging a wide variety of internal body structures, particularly soft tissue. The majority of medical ultrasound procedures are non-invasive; however, the minimally invasive form of ultrasound or endoscopic ultrasonography allows high-resolution imaging of target tissues. In the framework of Endostim, a BMBF-funded project, Fraunhofer ENAS  has worked toward the development of highly miniaturized silicon-based ultrasound transducers for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. These capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) offer many advantages, including wide bandwidth, small size and high thermal efficiency, compared to piezo-based transducers.
The developed CMUT devices were integrated into a ”microendoscope“ system with CMOS-based optics and associated control electronics for ultrasound-assisted procedures, in a collaboration with two companies participating in the project.