Many academic and industrial research teams are working towards the improvementof ultrasound techniques for medical diagnostic applications, in order to have volumetricechographic images in real time. The unique way to approach this problem isto use a matrix array transducer and to develop an echographic system able to handlethousands of electronic channels. A volumetric echographic system is a hard task !During the past decades huge advances have been made in the field of ultrasound imagingfor medical diagnostic applications. Conventional echographic probes are based,by now, on the mature piezoelectric technology. Recently, alternative technologiesbased on different operating principles have been proposed. In particular, the siliconmicromachined capacitive ultrasonic transducer technology (cMUT) has shown to besuitable for the replacement of the current technology. The main benefits of cMUT technologycan be found in the silicon micromachining process, commonly used in microelectronics.In order to have real time volumetric images a two dimensional matrixtransducer must be used; the afore mentioned cMUT technology is well suited for thistype of new transducers. Roma Tre has a program to develop this kind of transducersbut, because their geometrical characteristics are strongly dependent on the structureof the echographic system used, a preliminary exploration must be made in order todefine its principal features. This activity entails a huge amount of end-to-end simulationsof the whole process, from signal acquisition to the final image, to assess the impactof design choices on diagnostic capabilities
