Subdicing is a technique used to overcome grating lobes. With subdicing each major transducer element is divided into smaller parts, each one being a half wave length.

An ultrasound element is a single slab of piezoelectric crystal that is cut into a linear collection of separate pieces. The separate pieces are called elements. Each element is wired separately to the transducer and they are fired in groups that are coordinated by a microprocessor. The elements are electrically configured to control the direction and characteristics of the sound beam.

See also Subdicing.

The dimension of the ultrasound beam and the transducer array are the origin of grating-lobe artifacts (also called side lobe artifact). Grating lobes as side lobes are off-axis secondary ultrasound beams projecting at predictable angles to the main lobe. Side lobes are too small to produce important artifacts.

See also Apodization, and Subdicing.