Crosstalk in ribbon-based probe cables

First generation ribbon-based cables for medical ultrasound probes were commercially introduced last year. These new cables offer improved ergonomics (weight and flexibility), decreased capacitance and lower installed cost when compared with traditional miniature coax based cables. However, for certain probes designers working with ribbon-based cables have been hampered by electrical crosstalk. This paper introduces a second-generation ribbon-based cable and compares crosstalk in probes using the two cables. Certain ultrasound transducers terminate the cables. We find that the second-generation cable reduces worst-case crosstalk by /spl ap/20 dB as compared to the first generation.