Methods and circuitry for built-in self-testing of circuitry and/or transducers in ultrasound devices

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by a processing device in operative communication with an ultrasound device and from the ultrasound device, sets of measurements of capacitances or a parameter related to the capacitances of one or more CMUTs in the ultrasound device at each of multiple bias voltages applied to the membranes of the one or more CMUTs;
• determining collapse voltages of the one or more CMUTs based on the capacitances of the one or more CMUTs at each of the multiple bias voltages;
• and
• causing the ultrasound device to apply a bias voltage to the membranes of the one or more CMUTs based at least in part on the collapse voltages of the one or more CMUTs.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a processing device in operative communication with an ultrasound device, the processing device configured to:
• receive, from the ultrasound device sets of measurements of a capacitance or a parameter related to the capacitance of one or more CMUTs in the ultrasound device at each of multiple bias voltages applied to the membranes of the one or more CMUTs;
• and
• generate a notification based on the sets of measurements.