Marc Stephen Ramirez1, James Andrew Bankson1
1The Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
Current minimization schemes are critical to reduce inductive coupling between non-adjacent elements in MRI phased arrays. Traditionally, low input impedance preamplifiers have been used to accomplish this. In this work, we test an alternate method involving a transistor amplifier that is built into the coil to minimize loop current and maximize gain, while simultaneously achieving low-noise operation. Design methodologies involving low-noise, high-gain transistor impedance matching and a shift in the resonance frequency due to the parasitic capacitance of the transistor are described. Initial results indicate the potential to provide effective element decoupling for MRI phased arrays.