Application-specific integrated circuit and system for ultrasonic transmission and detection

An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 2065 for use with an ultrasonic system, the ASIC comprising a two-dimensional pulser matrix 2020, each pulser designed to produce pulses for an ultrasonic transducer element and associated receive switches 2015 for conducting echo signals received from these elements. Integral to the ASIC is at least one multiplexer stage, communicatively coupled to the receive switches, which selectively allows subsets of echo signals to be output in response to a selection signal. The matrix of receive switches preferably being divided into multiple switch groups with the multiplexer stage preferably having a first and second multiplexers connected in series, the first multiplexer comprising a switch line which is configured to be selectively coupled to different subsets of the receive switch groups.