KEYWORDS: Optoacoustics, Acoustics, In vivo imaging, Microrings, Silicon photonics, Point spread functions, Detection theory, Design and modelling, Vascular imaging, Ultrasonography
We demonstrate an ultra-wideband silicon-photonics acoustic detector (SPADE) with high sensitivity and signal fidelity, enabling highly detailed vascular imaging with resolutions comparable to optoacoustic microscopy. Our design is based on a planarized micro-ring resonator coated with an elastomer cladding in which the sensing is performed. The design of the guided optical mode and the use of planarization lead to high signal fidelity and a tomographic point-spread function that is in excellent agreement with the theoretical prediction. The new SPADE platform is demonstrated in vivo for imaging the vasculature of a mouse ear in high definition.
High-resolution optoacoustic imaging is conventionally performed using a microscopy setup where a strongly focused ultrasound transducer samples the image object point-by-point. Although recent advancements in miniaturized ultrasound detectors enables to achieve microscopic resolution with an unfocused detector in a tomographic configuration, such an approach requires illuminating the entire object, leading to an inefficient use of the optical power, and imposing a trans-illumination configuration that is limited to thin objects. We developed an optoacoustic micro-tomography system in an epi-illumination configuration, in which the illumination is scanned with the detector. The system is demonstrated in phantoms for imaging depths of up to 5 mm and in vivo for imaging the vasculature of a mouse ear. Although image-formation in optoacoustic tomography generally requires static illumination, our numerical simulations and experimental measurements show that this requirement is relaxed in practice due to light diffusion, which homogenizes the fluence in deep tissue layers.
The rapid localization of blood vessels in patients is important in various clinical applications, such as catheterization procedures. While optical techniques, including visual inspection, are limited in their effectiveness at depths below 1 mm, ultrasound and optoacoustic tomography can be used at deeper depths but require a spacer between the tissue and transducer to visualize superficial structures. In this work, we introduce a portable hand-held optoacoustic system that is capable of localizing blood vessels from the point of contact to a depth of 1 cm without the need for a spacer. The probe features a flat, lens-free ultrasound array which enables a largely depth independent response, though at the cost of reduced elevational resolution. In contrast to lens-based probes, where acoustic signals from outside the focal region are distorted, the amplitude of the signal from our probe only varies with depth, resulting in an imaging quality that is largely depth-independent within the imaged region. Additionally, to facilitate miniaturization, dark-field illumination is used, whereby light scattering from the tissue is exploited to homogenize the sensitivity field.
Silicon-photonics is a new ultrasound-detection technology, based on optical resonators, with unparalleled miniaturization levels, sensitivities, bandwidths, and capable of producing dense resonator arrays. Conventional techniques, based on tuning a continuous-wave laser to the resonator wavelength, are not scalable due to the wavelength disparity between the resonators, requiring a separate laser for each resonator. In this work, we show that also the Q-factor and transmission peak of silicon-based resonators can be pressure sensitive, develop a readout scheme based on monitoring the amplitude transmission, and demonstrate its compatibility with optoacoustic tomography.
A new ultrasound-detection technology is developed for ultrahigh-resolution optoacoustic tomography and is experimentally demonstrated with bandwidths exceeding 200 MHz and lateral resolutions beyond 20 μm. Our technology is based on an optical resonator fabricated in a silicon-photonics platform, which is coated by a sensitivity-enhancing polymer, which also eliminates the parasitic effect of surface acoustic waves. Further improvement in sensitivity is achieved by a low-noise interferometric setup, which eliminates the effect of laser frequency noise on the measurement. In vivo optoacoustic tomography is performed on a mouse ear, revealing its vasculature at detail that has been previously reserved to optoacoustic microscopy.
A new ultrasound-detection technology is developed for ultrahigh-resolution optoacoustic tomography and is experimentally demonstrated with bandwidths exceeding 200 MHz and lateral resolutions beyond 20 µm. Our technology is based on an optical resonator fabricated in a silicon-photonics platform, which is coated by a sensitivity-enhancing polymer, which also eliminates the parasitic effect of surface acoustic waves. Further improvement in sensitivity is achieved by a low-noise interferometric setup, which eliminates the effect of laser frequency noise on the measurement. In vivo optoacoustic tomography is performed on a mouse ear, revealing its vasculature at detail that has been previously reserved to optoacoustic microscopy.
We propose a novel all-optical focused ultrasound detector for intravascular optoacoustic imaging and demonstrate its imaging capabilities experimentally; the detector has a bandwidth of more than 75MHz and a spatial resolution of at least 50μm.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Optoacoustics, Tomography, Signal detection, In vivo imaging, Detector arrays, Chemical elements, Ultrasonics, Signal to noise ratio, Signal analyzers
Novel method for spatially coding ultrasonic detectors is described and experimentally demonstrated by in vivo Optoacoustic imaging of a mouse leg using a single detector, effectively transformed to a 2D detection array with 1763 elements.
Optoacoustic tomography (OAT) conventionally relies on curved detectors to maximize the sensitivity and lateral resolution. Here, we present an alternative paradigm to OAT that creates a virtual detector array with a high angular acceptance and sensitivity by using coded acoustic apertures and a flat piezoelectric detector. Using this approach, we created a 2D virtual array with 1763 elements and performed OAT of a complex 3D object with approximate axial and lateral resolutions of 150 μm and 500 μm in a flat detection geometry, demonstrating an image quality comparable to the one achieved with curved detection geometries.
One of the main challenges in intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging is the limited sensitivity and bandwidth of miniaturized piezoelectric probes. Optical detectors of ultrasound can drastically improve both these features, but often lack acoustic focusing. In this work, we developed a focused ultrasound detector by integrating a miniaturized acoustic lens, made out of glass, with a silicon-photonics-based detector. A detection bandwidth of up to 80 MHz and lateral resolution beyond 50 µm was demonstrated with a lens diameter of 0.8 mm. Our device is transparent in the near-infrared window, simplifying its integration in a miniaturized IVPA probe.
The detection of ultrasound via optical resonators is conventionally performed by tuning a continuous-wave (CW) laser to the linear slope of the resonance and monitoring the intensity modulation at the resonator output. In this work, we develop an alternative CW technique that can significantly reduce the measurement noise by monitoring variations in the phase, rather than intensity, at the resonator output. In our current implementation, which is based on a balanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer for phase detection, we demonstrate a 24-fold increase in the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected ultrasound signal over the conventional, intensity-monitoring approach.
In optical detection of ultrasound, resonators with high Q-factors are frequently used to maximize sensitivity. However, in order to perform parallel interrogation, conventional interferometric techniques require an overlap between the resonator spectra, which is difficult to achieve with high Q-factor resonators. In this work, a new method is developed for simultaneous interrogation of optical resonators with non-overlapping spectra. The method is based on a phase modulation scheme for pulse interferometry (PM-PI) and requires only a single photodetector and sampling channel per ultrasound detector. Using PM-PI, parallel ultrasound detection is demonstrated with four high Q-factor resonators.
Silicon photonics represents an attractive platform for optical sensing of ultrasound owing to the high light confinement it can achieved, which can enable the development of detector with sub-micron sizes. However, the small elasto-optic coefficients of silicon and silica limit the sensitivity of conventional silicon-on-insulator (SOI) sensors, in which the silicon core is surrounded by a silica cladding. In this work, we demonstrate an order-of-magnitude increase in the response of a silicon-photonics waveguide to ultrasound by replacing the silica over-cladding with bisbenzocyclobutene (BCB) - a transparent polymer with a high elasto-optic coefficient.
Coherence-restored pulse interferometry (CRPI) is a recently developed method for optical detection of ultrasound that achieves shot-noise-limited sensitivity and high dynamic range. In principle, the wideband source employed in CRPI may enable the interrogation of multiple detectors by using wavelength multiplexing. However, the noisereduction scheme in CRPI has not been shown to be compatible with wideband operation. In this work, we introduce a new scheme for CRPI that relies on a free-space Fabry-Perot filter for noise reduction and a pulse stretcher for reducing nonlinear effects. Using our scheme, we demonstrate that shot-noise-limited detection may be achieved for a spectral band of 80 nm and powers of up to 5 mW.
In optical detection of ultrasound, resonators with high Q-factors are frequently used to maximize sensitivity. However, in order to perform parallel interrogation, conventional interferometric techniques require an overlap between the resonator spectra, which is difficult to achieve with high Q-factor resonators. In this work, a new method is developed for simultaneous interrogation of optical resonators with non-overlapping spectra. The method is based on a phase modulation scheme for pulse interferometry (PM-PI) and requires only a single photodetector and sampling channel per ultrasound detector. Using PM-PI, parallel ultrasound detection is demonstrated with four high Q-factor resonators.
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