An integrated optoacoustic transducer combining etalon and black PDMS structures

An integrated optoacoustic transducer combining etalon and black polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structures has been designed and developed. The device consists of an 11-mum-thick black PDMS film confined to a 2-mm-diameter circular region acting as an optoacoustic transmitter, surrounded by a 5.9-mum Fabry-Perot polymer etalon structure serving as an optoacoustic detector array. A pulsed laser is focused onto a 30-mum spot on the black PDMS film, defining the transmit element, while a CW laser probes a 20-mum spot on the etalon for ultrasound detection. Pulse-echo signals display center frequencies of above 30 MHz with bandwidths of at least 40 MHz. A theta-array is formed for 3-D ultrasound imaging by mechanically scanning the generation laser along a 1-D array and the detection laser around an annular array. Preliminary images with 3 metal wires as imaging targets are presented. Characterization of the device's acoustical properties, as well as preliminary imaging results, suggest that all-optical ultrasound transducers are potential alternatives to piezoelectric techniques for high-frequency 2-D arrays enabling 3-D high-resolution ultrasound imaging.

[1]  L. G. Ullate,et al.  Beam Steering with Segmented Annular Arrays , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control.

[2]  P.C. Beard.  Two-dimensional ultrasound receive array using an angle-tuned Fabry-Perot polymer film sensor for transducer field characterization and transmission ultrasound imaging , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[3]  M. O'Donnell,et al.  Notes on synthetic phased-array with 2-D sparse arrays , 2003, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[4]  Edward D. Light,et al.  Two Dimensional Arrays for Real Time 3D Intravascular Ultrasound , 2004 .

[5]  Sheng-Wen Huang,et al.  Improvements in optical generation of high-frequency ultrasound , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[6]  Matthew O'Donnell,et al.  Optical generation of high frequency ultrasound using two-dimensional gold nanostructure , 2006 .

[7]  Sheng-Wen Huang,et al.  Thin polymer etalon arrays for high-resolution photoacoustic imaging. , 2008, Journal of biomedical optics.

[8]  F. Perennes,et al.  Transduction mechanisms of the Fabry-Perot polymer film sensing concept for wideband ultrasound detection , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[9]  H. Ermert,et al.  A 100-MHz ultrasound imaging system for dermatologic and ophthalmologic diagnostics , 1996, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[10]  Albert Macovski,et al.  High-Resolution B-Scan Systems Using a Circular Array , 1975 .

[11]  Ronald H Silverman,et al.  High-resolution ultrasonic imaging of the posterior segment. , 2004, Ophthalmology.

[12]  O. Oralkan,et al.  3-D ultrasound imaging using a forward-looking CMUT ring array for intravascular/intracardiac applications , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[13]  L From,et al.  A 40-100 MHz B-scan ultrasound backscatter microscope for skin imaging. , 1995, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[14]  J. Cannata,et al.  Development of a high-frequency (> 50 MHz) copolymer annular-array, ultrasound transducer , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[15]  M. O'Donnell,et al.  High frequency optoacoustic arrays using etalon detection , 2000, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[16]  J. Monchalin.  Optical Detection of Ultrasound , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[17]  S. Norton.  Synthetic aperture imaging with arrays of arbitrary shape. Part I. General case , 2002, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[18]  8F-2 High-Frequency Low-Noise Ultrasonic Detection Arrays Based on Parallelly Probing an Etalon , 2007, 2007 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings.

[19]  S.W. Smith,et al.  Sparse 2-D array design for real time rectilinear volumetric imaging , 2000, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[20]  Rodney A. White,et al.  Vascular Imaging before, during, and after Endovascular Repair , 1996, World Journal of Surgery.

[21]  Matthew O'Donnell,et al.  Broadband all-optical ultrasound transducers , 2007 .

[22]  O. Oralkan,et al.  Forward-viewing CMUT arrays for medical imaging , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[23]  S.W. Smith,et al.  High-density flexible interconnect for two-dimensional ultrasound arrays , 2000, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[24]  E. Chérin,et al.  A new ultrasound instrument for in vivo microimaging of mice. , 2002, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[25]  Butrus T. Khuri-Yakub,et al.  High-frequency CMUT arrays for high-resolution medical imaging , 2004 .

[26]  K.K. Shung,et al.  Development of a 35-MHz piezo-composite ultrasound array for medical imaging , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[27]  Matthew O'Donnell,et al.  Optoacoustic imaging using thin polymer étalon , 2005 .

[28]  B. Khuri-Yakub,et al.  Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers: next-generation arrays for acoustic imaging? , 2002, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[29]  M. O'Donnell,et al.  A Proposed Annular Array Imaging System for Contact B-Scan Applications , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Sonics and Ultrasonics.

[30]  S. Norton.  Synthetic aperture imaging with arrays of arbitrary shape--part II: The annular array. , 2002, IEEE transactions on ultrasonics, ferroelectrics, and frequency control.

[31]  Matthew O'Donnell,et al.  High-frequency ultrasound array element using thermoelastic expansion in an elastomeric film , 2001 .

[32]  F. Foster,et al.  Principles and applications of ultrasound backscatter microscopy , 1993, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.