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Biomedical ultrasound beam forming

The principles of biomedical ultrasound beam forming control the quality of diagnostic imaging. Beam parameters associated with imaging quality are: (1) lateral and axial resolutions; (2) depth of field; (3) contrast and (4) frame rate. In this paper, we review some of the current beam forming techniques and their principles. We focus on trade-offs among the above four aspects of beam forming and relate them to system parameters such as aperture size, f-number (the ratio between focal length and aperture diameter), central frequency (wavelength), system bandwidth and sidelobes. Methods for steering conventional and limited diffraction beams with array transducers are also reviewed.