Pulser chip improves board spacing in medical imaging apps

Supertex recently introduced a new, fully integrated, high voltage, high speed, ultrasound pulser IC. The HV732 chip combines control logic circuitry, level translators, MOSFET gate drive buffers, clamp circuits, and high current, high voltage MOSFETS in one small package.

The new device produces output voltage of up to 1100V and features damping for fast return to zero (RTZ) waveform capability, a gate clamp circuit to accommodate for rapid power supply changes, and a 12A output source and sink current capability. It also features 13ns matched delay times, up to a 40MHz operating frequency and a 1.8V to 3.3V CMOS logic interface.

"The HV732 dramatically improves board spacing in medical ultrasound imaging applications by combining an entire pulser circuit into a single IC," said Ahmed Masood, vice president of marketing for Supertex. "Our expertise in high voltage IC design and development enabled Supertex to bring the HV732 to market and further strengthen our position in the medical ultrasound pulser market."

The RoHS-compliant HV732 is available in a 44-lead QFN package (HV732K6-G), and is priced at $4.98 each in 1,000-unit quantities.