Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Ultrasound waves are used in a number of applications including sonar, chemical catalysis, non-destructive testing and medicine. We have an active research collaboration in which researchers with complementary expertise are creating breakthrough technologies in the excitation of ultrasonic transducers. Through this effort, we have developed a more efficient method for driving transducers using orthogonal electric fields, which facilitates switching of transducers, making them significantly more efficient. The equipment supported through this research grant will be used to finalize the testing and applications of ultrasound imaging and therapy transducers. We will make use of a unique ultrasound excitation platform that will make it possible to test new techniques for imaging and therapy with flexible and fine control for driving and image reconstruction. The success of this collaborative work combines material science modeling, the design and fabrication of amplifier technology, and device development to bring more affordable, more effective and safer applications of ultrasound to Canadians. We are currently at a critical point in which our promising results require this equipment to collect the data that will drive commercial interest and industrial research collaborations for this technology and the research that supports it. The requested dual driving/receiving system will allow us to test our patented technique by complementing the existing testing capabilities through which this technology was developed. We are currently testing our devices on a short-term lease that will not be sufficient to obtain the data that we require, particularly in light of feedback from potential industrial collaborators that are interested in the technique for complex multi-element imaging prototypes. Devices of this type are not widely available, and there is no equivalent device at Lakehead University or in Thunder Bay. The equipment will be available to all four research teams described in the proposal, for joint projects as well as specific for developments by each team. The main users of the equipment will be students enrolled in the Masters and Ph.D. programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Lakehead University and will generate data for students enrolled in the graduate programs in Material Sciences at McMaster University. Undergraduate summer students will also benefit from this equipment by working on smaller research projects and obtaining hands-on training. All students trained will gain important experience in the development of multi-element ultrasound devices and signal processing, which is standard in ultrasound imaging industry and for ultrasound therapeutic applications.