A standard CMOS high-voltage transmitter for ultrasound medical imaging applications

A high-voltage (HV) transmitter for ultrasound medical imaging applications is designed using 0.18-μm CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology. The proposed HV transmitter achieves high integration by employing standard CMOS transistors in a stacked configuration with dynamic gate biasing circuit while successfully driving the capacitive output load with an HV pulse without device breakdown reliability issues. The HV transmitter, which includes the output driver and voltage level-shifters, generates up to 30-Vp-p pulses at 1.25 MHz frequency and occupies 0.035 mm² of layout area.