Ultrasonic imaging system and method

An Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter comprising:

• a body having a longitudinal axis and a distal end;
• an ultrasonic transducer array disposed within the distal end of the body, wherein the ICE catheter is 6.0 French or smaller allowing access to heart and vascular structures;
• wherein the ultrasonic transducer array comprises a plurality of transducer array elements arranged on a substrate,
• wherein each transducer array element comprises a plurality of transducers of multiple diameters, with a first group of two or more transducers in a first transducer array element and a second group of two or more transducers in the first transducer array element, and each transducer array element is connected in parallel, and comprising:
• at least one piezoelectric layer disposed on the substrate;
• at least one first electrode connected between the at least one piezoelectric layer and a signal conductor;
• and
• at least one second electrode connected between the at least one piezoelectric layer and a ground conductor.

An Intracardiac echocardiographic (ICE) imaging system comprising:

• an ICE catheter having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end;
• a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (pMUT) array disposed within the distal end of the ICE catheter, wherein the MEMS based pMUT array comprises a substrate and a plurality of MEMS based pMUT array elements arranged on the substrate, and wherein the MEMS based pMUT array comprises pMUT cells of multiple diameters;
• and
• an electronic flex cable connected at one end to a handle assembly and at other end to the MEMS based pMUT array, wherein the electronic flex cable is in communication with at least one signal trace, and is configured to:
• direct each of the plurality of MEMS based pMUT array elements, via the at least one signal trace, to transmit and receive, with respect to heart, ultrasound beams;
• receive at least one signal from the plurality of MEMS based pMUT array elements based on transmitting and receiving at least one ultrasound beam of the ultrasound beams;
• and
• construct at least one image of at least a portion of the heart based on the at least one signal.