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Photoacoustic microscopy, as an imaging modality, has shown promising results in imaging angiogenesis and
cutaneous malignancies like melanoma, revealing systemic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, tracing drug
efficiency and assessment of therapy, monitoring healing processes such as wound cicatrization, brain imaging and
mapping. Clinically, photoacoustic microscopy is emerging as a capable diagnostic tool. Parameters of lasers used
in photoacoustic microscopy, particularly, pulse duration, energy, pulse repetition frequency, and pulse-to-pulse
stability affect signal amplitude and quality, data acquisition speed and indirectly, spatial resolution. Lasers used
in photoacoustic microscopy are typically Q-switched lasers, low-power laser diodes, and recently, fiber lasers.
Significantly, the key parameters cannot be adjusted independently of each other, whereas microvasculature and
cellular imaging, e.g., have different requirements. Here, we report an integrated fiber laser system producing
nanosecond pulses, covering the spectrum from 600 nm to 1100 nm, developed specifically for photoacoustic
excitation. The system comprises of Yb-doped fiber oscillator and amplifier, an acousto-optic modulator and a
photonic-crystal fiber to generate supercontinuum. Complete control over the pulse train, including generation
of non-uniform pulse trains, is achieved via the AOM through custom-developed field-programmable gate-array
electronics. The system is unique in that all the important parameters are adjustable: pulse duration in the range
of 1-3 ns, pulse energy up to 10 μJ, repetition rate from 50 kHz to 3 MHz. Different photocoustic imaging probes
can be excited with the ultrabroad spectrum. The entire system is fiber-integrated; guided-beam-propagation
rendersit misalignment free and largely immune to mechanical perturbations. The laser is robust, low-cost and
built using readily available components.
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