In the most common type of transducers, how is the slice-thickness plane focused?

The slice-thickness plane in the most common type of transducers is focused using a lens. This method involves placing a lens in front of the piezoelectric elements within the transducer assembly. The lens is designed to focus the ultrasound beam in the slice-thickness plane, which is perpendicular to the imaging plane of interest.

This focusing enhances the spatial resolution of the ultrasound image by narrowing the beam width in the slice-thickness dimension, allowing for better visualization of structures within the body. By controlling the shape and curvature of the lens, the focusing can be accomplished to optimize the image quality.

Other focusing techniques such as mirrors or electronic steering are less common in this context. Mirrors can be utilized in certain specialized transducer designs but are not the primary method for slice-thickness focusing in the most widely used transducer types. Electronic steering is a technique that allows the transducer to direct the ultrasound beam at various angles to scan a volume, but it does not specifically focus the slice-thickness plane. The concept of a synthetic aperture relates to enhancing resolution and imaging over a larger area but is not directly related to the focusing of the slice-thickness plane in standard transducer designs.