Eight-Channel Ultrasound Receivers Now Enable High-Quality Continuous Wave Doppler Processing

Ultrasound imaging has evolved over the years to meet increasingly complex diagnostic needs, ranging from routine prenatal care to advanced cardiac imaging. Analog Devices, Inc., (NYSE: ADI), the leading provider of data-conversion technology and longtime collaborator with the medical imaging industry, is meeting the diverse requirements of new medical imaging applications by introducing the third generation of its award-winning octal (eight-channel) ultrasound receivers. Designed for CW (continuous wave) as well as PW (pulse wave) Doppler ultrasound, the AD9276 and AD9277 octal ultrasound receivers integrate gain, filtering, data conversion, and demodulation for CW Doppler signal processing on a single chip.

Ultrasound equipment uses CW Doppler processing to measure the speed and direction of blood flow (click here to view a video clip). This provides physicians with a measurement technique that more accurately diagnoses vascular conditions, such as faulty valves and arteries in the heart. ADI’s new octal ultrasound receivers allow system designers to provide CW Doppler capabilities while reducing system size, complexity, and power consumption for mid- and high-end cart-based ultrasound systems.

The AD9276 and AD9277 octal ultrasound receivers consume only 90 mW per channel when processing signals in CW Doppler mode and require 80 percent less board space than competing ultrasound receiver subsystems.

“CW Doppler differs from other medical sonographic techniques in that it measures the Doppler shift, which is the change in frequency and phase of the reflected ultrasound signal, to determine the direction and rate of blood flow in blood vessels, veins, and arteries,” said Patrick O’Doherty, healthcare segment director, Analog Devices. “ADI’s octal ultrasound receivers enable medical equipment designers to provide physicians with an effective tool to assess various cardiac and vascular conditions.”

Octal Ultrasound Receivers Integrate I/Q Demodulation

The AD9276 octal ultrasound receiver combines an eight-channel VGA (variable-gain amplifier) with a LNA (low-noise preamplifier), anti-aliasing filters, and a 12-bit 80-MSPS (million samples per second) ADC (analog-to-digital converter). The AD9277 octal ultrasound receiver features the same level of integration but incorporates a 14-bit 50-MSPS ADC. These two octal receivers provide the industry’s lowest input-referred noise (0.75 nV/rt-Hz @ 5 MHz typical) when operating under real-world conditions, and 6 dB/rt-Hz better input dynamic range than competing devices. The AD9276 dissipates 190 mW per channel at 12 bits and 40 MSPS, while the AD9277 dissipates 190mW per channel at 14 bits and 40 MSPS.

The AD9276 and AD9277 octal ultrasound receivers include an integrated I/Q (in-phase/quadrature) demodulator with programmable phase rotation on each channel, which reduces size and power consumption while improving the performance of the CW Doppler signal path. Each LNA output drives a I/Q demodulator to produce an output dynamic range that typically exceeds 160 dB/rt-Hz.

Both the AD9276 and AD9277 octal ultrasound receivers feature a variable gain range of up to 42 dB and a selection of anti-aliasing filter options. The new receivers also feature a SPI (Serial Port Interface ) that allows designers to further customize the noise and power performance for any given imaging mode, probe, or power requirement. In CW Doppler mode, each demodulator has independently programmable phase rotation through the SPI with 16 phase settings. By writing to the SPI registers, designers can optimize an ultrasound signal processing architecture for the best possible noise performance. An easy-to-use software tool simplifies each configuration.

Complementary Components

Complementary components for the AD9276 and AD9277 octal ultrasound receivers include the AD8021 low noise, high speed amplifier; ADA4841-2 dual, low power, low noise and distortion amplifer ; AD7982 18-bit, 1 MSPS PulSAR® analog-to-digital converter; and ADR433 3.0-V ultra-low-noise voltage reference.

Pricing and Availability

The AD9276 and AD9277 octal ultrasound receivers are sampling now, with volume production scheduled for June. For more information, visit http://www.analog.com/pr/AD9276 or http://www.analog.com/pr/AD9277. To learn more about Analog Devices’ technology for healthcare applications, visit http://www.analog.com/healthcare.

About Analog Devices

Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating over 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “ADI” and is included in the S&P 500 Index. http://www.analog.com

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