August 13, 2014, Seoul — STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company contributing to customers across a wide range of electronic applications, has launched the new 8-channel ultrasound pulser chip, the STHV800. The newly released pulser chip helps reduce the cost and size of ultrasound imaging machines.

The STHV800 utilizes ST’s proprietary SOI-BCD6 process technology, which enables the combination of low-voltage CMOS logic, precision analog circuits, and powerful power stages on a single chip, providing the highest level of integration. This chip is a high-voltage, high-speed, monolithic pulse generator with eight independent channels, and integrates high-power P-channel and N-channel MOSFETs in the output stages of each channel, along with controller-logic interface circuits, level converters, self-biased high-voltage MOSFET gate drivers, and noise-blocking diodes.

Each channel has two output stages, one for pulse waves (PW) and the other for continuous waves (CW), and these two channels, along with an integrated transmit/receive switch, ensure efficient decoupling during the transmission phase. The STHV800 is the most integrated 8-channel pulser chip currently on the market, and because output voltage conversion is fast and symmetrical, clear images can be obtained without complex and expensive image processing algorithms.

As a result, as costs and PC board footprints are reduced together, the size of the ultrasound imaging equipment can be reduced and the price adjusted to be more affordable without compromising quality or performance. Furthermore, cost-effective portable ultrasound examination systems, such as fetal ultrasound scanners commonly used in industrialized countries, can be safely used in rural areas or developing countries without fear of radiation.

In addition, the STHV800 can be used in various applications requiring piezoelectric transducer actuation, including point-of-care ultrasound imaging equipment, as well as underwater acoustic devices, radar, and non-destructive testing equipment.

Key features of the STHV800 include an input voltage range of 1.5-3.6V, an output range of ±90V, pulse duration control of up to 10ns for maximum image clarity, jitter of less than 10ps to ensure accurate frequency response in ultrasonic Doppler analysis, low second harmonic distortion (less than -40dB) for superior image quality, and a design that does not require an external reference capacitor.