A Compact, High Power Capable, and Tunable High Directivity Microstrip Coupler.

A coupler is an indispensable component to sample the forward and reflected power for the real-time radio frequency (RF) power monitoring system. The directivity of a coupler is a critical factor to achieve accurate RF power measurements. This paper proposes a microstrip coupler with a tunable high directivity circuit to accurately measure the reflected RF power. The directivity tuner composed of passive components adjusts phase and amplitude of the coupled RF signal, and cancel out the leakage signal from the RF input port at the coupled reflection port. The experimental results, which agree with simulation results, show that the microstrip coupler with the directivity tuner circuit has a compact size (~ 0.07 λg x 0.05 λg), high power capability (up to 1 kW), and high directivities (more than 40 dB) at operating frequency bands (f = 297.3 MHz, 400 MHz, and 447 MHz, respectively) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications.

Design of an Electrically Automated RF Transceiver Head Coil in MRI.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used nonionizing and noninvasive diagnostic instrument to produce detailed images of the human body. The radio-frequency (RF) coil is an essential part of MRI hardware as an RF front-end. RF coils transmit RF energy to the subject and receive the returning MR signal. This paper presents an MRI-compatible hardware design of the new automatic frequency tuning and impedance matching system. The system automatically corrects the detuned and mismatched condition that occurs due to loading effects caused by the variable subjects (i.e., different human heads or torsos). An eight-channel RF transceiver head coil with the automatic system has been fabricated and tested at 7 Tesla (T) MRI system. The automatic frequency tuning and impedance matching system uses digitally controlled capacitor arrays with real-time feedback control capability. The hardware design is not only compatible with current MRI scanners in all aspects but also it operates the tuning and matching function rapidly and accurately. The experimental results show that the automatic function increases return losses from 8.4 dB to 23.7 dB (maximum difference) and from 12.7 dB to 19.6 dB (minimum difference) among eight channels within 550 ms . The reflected RF power decrease from 23.1% to 1.5% (maximum difference) and from 5.3% to 1.1% (minimum difference). Therefore, these results improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in MR images with phantoms.

Stepped impedance resonators for high-field magnetic resonance imaging.

Multi-element volume radio-frequency (RF) coils are an integral aspect of the growing field of high-field magnetic resonance imaging. In these systems, a popular volume coil of choice has become the transverse electromagnetic (TEM) transceiver coil consisting of microstrip resonators. In this paper, to further advance this design approach, a new microstrip resonator strategy in which the transmission line is segmented into alternating impedance sections, referred to as stepped impedance resonators (SIRs), is investigated. Single-element simulation results in free space and in a phantom at 7 T (298 MHz) demonstrate the rationale and feasibility of the SIR design strategy. Simulation and image results at 7 T in a phantom and human head illustrate the improvements in a transmit magnetic field, as well as RF efficiency (transmit magnetic field versus specific absorption rate) when two different SIR designs are incorporated in 8-element volume coil configurations and compared to a volume coil consisting of microstrip elements.

RF Head Coil Design with Improved RF Magnetic Near-Fields Uniformity for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Systems.

Higher magnetic field strength in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems offers higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast, and spatial resolution in MR images. However, the wavelength in ultra-high fields (7 tesla and beyond) becomes shorter than the human body at the Larmor frequency with increasing static magnetic field (B0) of MRI system. At short wavelengths, interference effect appears resulting in non- uniformity of the RF magnetic near-field (B1) over the subject and MR images may have spatially anomalous contrast. The B1 near-field generated by the transverse electromagnetic (TEM) RF coil's microstrip line element has a maximum near the center of its length and falls off towards both ends. In this study, a double trapezoidal shaped microstrip transmission line element is proposed to obtain uniform B1 field distribution by gradual impedance variation. Two multi-channel RF head coils with uniform and trapezoidal shape elements were built and tested with a phantom at 7T MRI scanner for comparison. The simulation and experimental results show stronger and more uniform B1+ near-field with the trapezoidal shape.

A method to localize RF B1 field in high-field magnetic resonance imaging systems.

In high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, B0 fields of 7 and 9.4 T, the RF field shows greater inhomogeneity compared to clinical MRI systems with B0 fields of 1.5 and 3.0 T. In multichannel RF coils, the magnitude and phase of the input to each coil element can be controlled independently to reduce the nonuniformity of the RF field. The convex optimization technique has been used to obtain the optimum excitation parameters with iterative solutions for homogeneity in a selected region of interest. The pseudoinverse method has also been used to find a solution. The simulation results for 9.4- and 7-T MRI systems are discussed in detail for the head model. Variation of the simulation results in a 9.4-T system with the number of RF coil elements for different positions of the regions of interest in a spherical phantom are also discussed. Experimental results were obtained in a phantom in the 9.4-T system and are compared to the simulation results and the specific absorption rate has been evaluated.

Pseudoinverse method for modal solutions of open dielectric waveguides.

The vector finite-element method in the interior and the boundary integral equation of the exterior domain are investigated in order to analyze open dielectric waveguides. Boundary conditions are obtained by applying the continuity of the magnetic and electric fields at the surface of the waveguide. Since both the finite-element method and boundary integral equations have the final matrices of the form Ax=lambdaBx, the pseudoinverse method with a penalty factor is used. This new method provides the simultaneous solutions of propagating modes at the operating frequency, and it shows good agreement with previously published results for the analysis of the rectangular waveguide.

Analysis of open dielectric waveguides using the finite-element penalty method.

This paper analyzes open dielectric waveguides using the vector finite-element method and boundary integral equations derived from the second Green's theorem. This finite-element formulation, together with the boundary operator, is solved using a penalty function method. Comparison with previously published results shows good agreement for the analysis of the rectangular dielectric waveguide.

9.4T human MRI: preliminary results.

This work reports the preliminary results of the first human images at the new high-field benchmark of 9.4T. A 65-cm-diameter bore magnet was used together with an asymmetric 40-cm-diameter head gradient and shim set. A multichannel transmission line (transverse electromagnetic (TEM)) head coil was driven by a programmable parallel transceiver to control the relative phase and magnitude of each channel independently. These new RF field control methods facilitated compensation for RF artifacts attributed to destructive interference patterns, in order to achieve homogeneous 9.4T head images or localize anatomic targets. Prior to FDA investigational device exemptions (IDEs) and internal review board (IRB)-approved human studies, preliminary RF safety studies were performed on porcine models. These data are reported together with exit interview results from the first 44 human volunteers. Although several points for improvement are discussed, the preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of safe and successful human imaging at 9.4T.

Aqueous sample in an EPR cavity: sensitivity considerations.

The radial mode matching (RMM) method has been used to calculate accurately the microwave field distribution of the TE(011) mode in a spherical EPR cavity containing a linear aqueous sample, in order to understand in detail the factors affecting sensitivity in EPR measurements at X band. Specific details of the experiment were included in the calculations, such as the cavity geometry, the presence of a quartz dewar, the size of the aqueous sample, and the sample's dielectric properties. From the field distribution, several key physical parameters were calculated, including cavity Q, filling factor, mean microwave magnetic field at the sample, and cavity efficiency parameter Lambda. The dependence of EPR signal intensity on sample diameter for a cylindrical aqueous sample was calculated and measured experimentally for non-saturated and half-saturated samples. The optimal aqueous sample diameter was determined for both cases. The impact of sample temperature, conductivity, and cavity Q on sensitivity of EPR is discussed.