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This Letter reports a new, to the best of our knowledge, high-frequency surface-micromachined optical ultrasound transducer (HF-SMOUT) array for micro photoacoustic computed tomography (µPACT). An 11 × 11 mm22D array of 220 × 220 elements (35 µm in diameter) is designed, fabricated, and characterized. The optical resonance wavelength (ORW) of ≥90% of the elements falls within a 6-nm range. The acoustic center frequency and bandwidth of the elements are ∼14 MHz and ∼18 MHz (129%), respectively. The noise equivalent pressure (NEP) is 161 Pa (or 18 mPa/Hz) within a measurement bandwidth of 5–75 MHz. The standard deviation of the ORW drift is 0.45 nm and 0.93 nm within 25°C−55°C, respectively, and during a seven-day continuous water immersion. PACT experiments are conducted to evaluate the imaging performances of the HF-SMOUT array. The spatial resolution is estimated as 90 µm (axial) and 250–750 µm (lateral) within a 10 × 10 mm2field of view (FoV) and the imaging depth of 16 mm. A 3D PA image of a knotted black hair target is also successfully acquired. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using the HF-SMOUT array for µPACT applications.
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Flexible array transducer for photoacoustic-guided interventions: phantom and ex vivo demonstrations
Photoacoustic imaging has demonstrated recent promise for surgical guidance, enabling visualization of tool tips during surgical and non-surgical interventions. To receive photoacoustic signals, most conventional transducers are rigid, while a flexible array is able to deform and provide complete contact on surfaces with different geometries. In this work, we present photoacoustic images acquired with a flexible array transducer in multiple concave shapes in phantom andex vivobovine liver experiments targeted toward interventional photoacoustic applications. We validate our image reconstruction equations for known sensor geometries with simulated data, and we provide empirical elevation field-of-view, target position, and image quality measurements. The elevation field-of-view was 6.08 mm at a depth of 4 cm and greater than 13 mm at a depth of 5 cm. The target depth agreement with ground truth ranged 98.35-99.69%. The mean lateral and axial target sizes when imaging 600μm-core-diameter optical fibers inserted within the phantoms ranged 0.98-2.14 mm and 1.61-2.24 mm, respectively. The mean ± one standard deviation of lateral and axial target sizes when surrounded by liver tissue were 1.80±0.48 mm and 2.17±0.24 mm, respectively. Contrast, signal-to-noise, and generalized contrast-to-noise ratios ranged 6.92–24.42 dB, 46.50–67.51 dB, and 0.76–1, respectively, within the elevational field-of-view. Results establish the feasibility of implementing photoacoustic-guided surgery with a flexible array transducer.
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- PAR ID:
- 10435987
- Publisher / Repository:
- Optical Society of America
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Biomedical Optics Express
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 8
- ISSN:
- 2156-7085
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 4349
- Size(s):
- Article No. 4349
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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