Snyder, Carl J.2013-11-072013-11-072013-09https://hdl.handle.net/11299/159930University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. September. 2013. Major: Biomedical Engineering. Advisor: Dr. J. Thomas Vaughan. 1 computer file (PDF); v, 107 pages.This thesis is structured around three journal articles. The first three chapters provide the background for the three articles. The three articles are all concerned with advancements in RF array design that have made 7T body imaging possible. The first two articles, are previously published and provide background for the final, which has yet to be submitted. The first article, presented in chapter four, was originally published in 2009 outlines and describes a novel TEM surface array that allowed for the first successful cardiac imaging at 7T. The second article, presented in chapter five, presents a comprehensive comparison between two similar TEM arrays; in many respects this article has set the standard for array evaluations and comparisons. The third and final article, presented in chapter six is concerned with ongoing research. It outlines a sixteen-channel TEM transmit-only array used in conjunction with a thirty-two-channel loop receive-only array. Additionally, to address the difficulty of tuning and matching a sixteen-channel array, a novel automated tuning and matching process using an electromechanical solution is presented.en-USThesis or Dissertation