Transducer geometry imperfection compensation

Multi-element ultrasound arrays are not always perfect, especially when produced using experimental technology. Element variability leads to deterioration of image quality, which prevents a fair comparison to more established transducer manufacturing technologies. This paper presents an approach to compensate for the geometric (Z- axis) imperfections of a transducer, relying on the characterization results of its individual elements. It is hypothesized that compensating for the geometric imperfection of the transducer can significantly improve the ultrasound image quality. The potential of the approach is evaluated through image quality comparison using a commercial transducer, an experimental transducer and a multi-wire phantom. For a wire at 75 mm depth, the lateral width of a wire image is reduced from 7.4 λ to 3.1 λ, and the cystic contrast is improved from -21.4 dB to -31.1 dB.