Polyadic Cantor Fractal ultrasonic lenses: Design and characterization

Abstract

Traditional acoustic lenses modulate the ultrasonic beam due to their curved surfaces and the refractive material of which they are made. In this work, a different type of acoustic lens, based on Polyadic Cantor Fractals (PCF), is presented and thoroughly analyzed. These new Polyadic Cantor Fractal Lenses (PCFLs) are completely flat and easy to build, and they present interesting modulation capabilities over the acoustic profile. The dependence of the focusing profile on the PCFL design parameters is fully characterized, and it is shown that certain design parameters provide a dynamic control, which is critical in many medical applications such as thermal ablation of tumors.