A programmable multi-channel CMOS pulser chip to drive ultrasonicarray transducers

This paper describes the development of a 16-channel programmable pulse generator Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The General Purpose Pulser Chip (GPPC-16) can supply pulses delayed by up to 0.5 ms with a 1 ns time resolution. By employing novel design techniques, this has been achieved in standard CMOS technology. The design employs a CMOS delay line in conjunction with a phase-locked-loop. In this way a 16-phase clock is generated, which can drive 16 programmable counters. Currently the chip is being used to drive ultrasonic transducer arrays. The construction of these piezoelectric polymer arrays is also briefly discussed