Modeling and simulation of ultrasound fields generated by 2D phased array transducers for medical applications.

Modern ultrasound imaging instrumentation for clinical applications allows real-time volumetric scanning of the patients' body. 4D imaging has been made possible thanks to the development of new echographic probes which consist in 2D phased arrays of piezoelectric transducers. In these new devices it is the system electronics which properly drives the matrix elements and focuses the beam in order to obtain a sequence of volumetric images. This paper introduces an ultrasound field simulator based on the Spatial Impulse Response method which is being properly developed to analyze the characteristics of the ultrasound field generated by a 2D phased array of transducers. Thanks to its high configurability by the user, it will represent a very useful tool for electronics designers in developing 4D ultrasound imaging systems components.