An integrated optoacoustic transducer combining etalon and black PDMS structures

IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2008 Dec;55(12):2719-25. doi: 10.1109/TUFFC.2008.988.

Abstract

An integrated optoacoustic transducer combining etalon and black polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structures has been designed and developed. The device consists of an 11-μm-thick black PDMS film confined to a 2-mm-diameter circular region acting as an optoacoustic transmitter, surrounded by a 5.9-μm Fabry-Perot polymer etalon structure serving as an optoacoustic detector array. A pulsed laser is focused onto a 30-μm spot on the black PDMS film, defining the transmit element, while a CW laser probes a 20-μm 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.

Publication types

  • Letter
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes / chemistry*
  • Optical Fibers
  • Transducers*
  • Ultrasonography / instrumentation*

Substances

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes
  • baysilon