Fabry Perot polymer film fibre-optic hydrophones and arrays for ultrasound field characterisation

An optical ultrasound sensing method based upon the detection of acoustically- induced changes in the optical thickness of a Fabry Perot (FP) polymer film sensing interferometer has been developed as an alternative to piezoelectric based detection methods for ultrasound measurement applications. The technique provides an inherently broadband (~30MHz) response and excellent detection sensitivities (<10kPa), comparable to those of piezoelectric PVDF transducers. An important distinguishing feature however is that the sensing geometry is defined by the area of the polymer sensing film that is optically addressed. As a result, very small element sizes can be obtained to provide low directional sensitivity without compromising detection sensitivity - a key advantage over piezoelectric transducers. It also means that, by spatially sampling over a relatively large aperture, a high density ultrasound array can readily be configured. Other advantages are that, the sensing element can be inexpensively batch fabricated using polymer film deposition techniques, has the ability to self-calibrate, is electrically passive and immune to EMI. A range of measurement devices using this type of sensor have now been developed. These include a miniature (0.25mm o.d.) optical fibre hydrophone for in situ measurements of diagnostic and therapeutic medical ultrasound exposure. By rapidly scanning a focused laser beam over a planar FP sensor, a notional array of 3cm aperture, 50µm element size and 200µm interelement spacing has also been demonstrated for rapid transducer field mapping applications. It is considered that this ability to fabricate acoustically small, highly sensitive receivers in a variety of configurations offers the prospect of developing a valuable new set of ultrasound measurement tools.