An Integrated Transceiver for Low-Power Miniaturized Field Probe Systems

Motivation: Restricted space in MRI systems, variable imaging setups, and closeness to patients require small, portable, and low-power electronics for NMR field probes. Goal(s): Designing integrated field probe front-end electronics that can shrink field monitoring systems, reduce their power consumption, mitigate their heat dissipation, and ease their integration into receive coils. Approach: We designed, manufactured, and measured a transceiver IC, integrated into a low-power CMOS technology, coupled with a fluorine field probe in a 3T whole-body MRI scanner. Results: High-quality FIDs were measured, and magnetic field gradients were derived with a high SNR and a receiver power consumption of only 14.2 mW. Impact: Coupling low-power integrated electronics and NMR field probes could allow the design of new miniaturized systems. Those could be used in future interventional devices or wireless field probe systems when remote operation and data transmission will be possible.