Life Technologies Corporation

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

Bfly Operations, Inc.

Melexis Tessenderlo N.v.

Jungwook Yang

Keith Glen Fife

Clifford I Drowley

Ching-Chun Wang

Nevada J Sanchez

Hae-Seung Harry Lee

Kailiang Chen

Lane G Brooks

Jianwei Liu

Joseph Lutsky

Sewook Hwang

Lane Gearle Brooks

Sarp Satir

Daniel Rea McMahill

Pavan Mudunuru

Ultrasound devices are disclosed. The ultrasound devices have an elevational dimension. Different percentages of the aperture of the ultrasound device corresponding to different percentages of the elevational dimension are utilized in different applications. The resolution of imagine may be adjusted in connection with usage of different percentages of the aperture.

Apparatuses and methods for configuring ultrasound devices

A high data rate integrated circuit, such as an integrated circuit including a large sensor array, may be implemented using clock multipliers in individual power domains, coupled to sets of transmitters, including a transmitter pair configuration. Reference clock distribution circuitry on the integrated circuit distributes a relatively low speed reference clock. In a transmitter pair configuration, each pair comprises a first transmitter and a second transmitter in a transmitter power domain. Also, each pair of transmitters includes a clock multiplier connected to the reference clock distribution circuitry, and disposed between the first and second transmitters, which produces a local transmit clock.

High data rate integrated circuit with transmitter configuration

Micromachined ultrasonic transducers having pressure ports are described. The micromachined ultrasonic transducers may comprise flexible membranes configured to vibrate over a cavity. The cavity may be sealed, in some instances by the membrane itself. A pressure port may provide access to the cavity, and thus control of the cavity pressure. In some embodiments, an ultrasound device including an array of micromachined ultrasonic transducers is provided, with pressure ports for at least some of the ultrasonic transducers. The pressure ports may be used to control pressure across the array.

Pressure port for ultrasonic transducer on CMOS sensor

An ultrasound device is described. The ultrasound device may include a cavity, a membrane, and a sensing electrode. When an electrical signal is applied to the sensing electrode and a static bias is applied to the membrane, the membrane vibrates within the cavity and produces ultrasonic signals. The cavity, the membrane, and the sensing electrode may be considered a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). The sensing electrode may be shaped as a ring, whereby the central portion of the sensing electrode is removed. Removal of the central portion of the sensing electrode may reduce the parasitic capacitance without substantially affecting the production of ultrasonic signals by the CMUT. This, in turn, can result in an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the ultrasonic signals. The ultrasound device may further include a bond pad configured for wire bonding, and a trench electrically isolating the bond pad from the membrane.

Ultrasound devices

Aspects of the technology described herein relate to control circuitry configured to turn on and off the ADC driver. In some embodiments, the control circuitry is configured to turn on and off the ADC driver in synchronization with sampling activity of an ADC, in particular based on when an ADC is sampling. The control circuitry may be configured to turn on the ADC driver during the hold phase of the ADC a time period before the track phase and to turn off the ADC driver during the hold phase a time period after the track phase. In some embodiments, the control circuitry is configured to control a duty cycle of the ADC driver turning on and off. In some embodiments, the control circuitry is configured to control a ratio between an off current and an on current in the ADC driver.

Methods and apparatuses for turning on and off an ADC driver in an ultrasound device

Aspects of the technology described herein related to an ultrasound processing unit (UPU) including gray-coding circuitry configured to convert standard binary-coded digital ultrasound signals to gray-coded digital ultrasound signals and gray-decoding circuitry coupled to the gray-coding circuitry and configured to convert the gray-coded digital ultrasound signals to standard binary-coded digital ultrasound signals. The UPU may include an analog portion, a digital portion, and a data bus configured to route the gray-coded digital ultrasound signals from the analog portion to the digital portion subsequent to converting the standard binary-coded digital ultrasound signals to the gray-coded digital ultrasound signals. The analog portion may include multiple analog front-ends (AFEs), the gray-coding circuitry, and an analog-to-digital converter. The digital portion may include the gray-decoding circuitry. A data bus from one AFE may pass over another AFE.

Methods and apparatuses for processing ultrasound signals

A sensor device includes a sensor array and a flow cell in fluid communication with the sensor array. Bias circuitry apply bias arrangements to the sensor array to produce sensor data. Peripheral circuitry coupled to the bias circuitry produces streams of data from the sensor array, the peripheral circuitry having an active mode and an idle mode. Logic to switch the peripheral circuitry between the active mode and the idle mode to control power consumption is provided. A temperature sensor may be included, and the logic can operate with feedback to switch between the active mode and the idle mode to maintain the temperature within an operating range.

High data rate integrated circuit with power management

An array of sensors arranged in matched pairs of transistors with an output formed on a first transistor and a sensor formed on the second transistor of the matched pair. The matched pairs are arranged such that the second transistor in the matched pair is read through the output of the first transistor in the matched pair. The first transistor in the matched pair is forced into the saturation (active) region to prevent interference from the second transistor on the output of the first transistor. A sample is taken of the output. The first transistor is then placed into the linear region allowing the sensor formed on the second transistor to be read through the output of the first transistor. A sample is taken from the output of the sensor reading of the second transistor. A difference is formed of the two samples.

Method and system for delta double sampling

The described embodiments may provide a chemical detection circuit. The chemical detection circuit may comprise a pixel array, a pair of analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit blocks, a pair of input/output (I/O) circuit blocks coupled to the pair of ADC circuit blocks respectively, and a plurality of serial link terminals coupled to the pair of IO circuit blocks. The pixel array may comprise a plurality of chemically-sensitive pixels formed in columns and rows. Each chemically-sensitive pixel may comprise: a chemically-sensitive transistor, and a row selection device.

Chemical detection circuit including a serializer circuit

A circuit for generating non-overlapping clock signals includes a programmable delayed reference clock signals circuit to produce a plurality of delayed reference clock signals and a plurality of delay clock signal generators, operatively connected to the programmable delayed reference clock signals circuit, to generate non-overlapping clock signals. Each delay clock signal generator includes a latch or flip-flop to control a delay in a rising edge of a clock signal and to output a first signal, another latch or flip-flop to control a delay in a falling edge of a delayed clock signal and to output a first signal, and a logic circuit to generate the clock signal from the first and second signals. The latches or flip-flops independently control a delay in the rising edge of the clock signal in response to one of the plurality of delayed reference clock signals.

Growing community of inventors

Waban, MA, United States of America

Jungwook Yang