Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) based RF-switches in MRI – A Performance Study

Modern Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems permit parallel, spatial-encoded MRI (pMRI) and as such it is now possible to have up to 128 adjacent coil elements in a coil array [1]. Together with reduced imaging times, pMRI can significantly help to enhance the signal to noise ratio (SNR) over extended fields of view (FOV) [2]. However, a large number of channels subsequently create new technical challenges, i.e. switching and cabling complexity as well as space constraints. This paper relates to a method of controlling and switching multiple receiver coil arrays in a manner that will reduce power consumption, cabling requirements, and increase overall SNR through the use of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) RF switches. The relevant performance parameters of MEMS devices are found to be acceptable for use in multi-element coil switching roles