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Published on: June 26, 2017
Parallel interrogation of the chalcogenide-based micro-ring sensor array for photoacoustic tomography
Jingshun Pan1,2,3, Qiang Li1, Yaoming Feng1
1School of Electronics and Information Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Information Processing Chips and Systems, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
This study introduces a novel photoacoustic tomography (PAT) system using a chalcogenide-based micro-ring sensor array and digital optical frequency comb (DOFC) for parallel interrogation. This advancement enables high-resolution imaging of dynamic biological samples with enhanced efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Optics
- Acoustic Imaging
- Sensor Technology
Background:
- Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) offers optical contrast with acoustic resolution, crucial for advanced biomedical imaging.
- Progress in PAT relies heavily on sophisticated ultrasound sensor arrays.
- On-chip optical ultrasound sensors show promise but are underexplored in PAT systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate photoacoustic tomography (PAT) using a novel chalcogenide-based micro-ring sensor array.
- To develop and validate a parallel interrogation method for the sensor array using a digital optical frequency comb (DOFC).
- To showcase the system's capability in imaging dynamic and biological subjects.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of a 15-element chalcogenide-based micro-ring sensor array with high sensitivity and broad bandwidth.
- Synthesis of a digital optical frequency comb (DOFC) for parallel optical interrogation of the sensor array.
- Implementation of PAT using the developed sensor array and DOFC for imaging proof-of-concept samples.
Main Results:
- The sensor array demonstrated a bandwidth of 175 MHz and a noise-equivalent pressure of 2.2 mPaHz-1/2.
- Successful parallel interrogation with a single light source and photoreceiver was achieved.
- High-quality PAT images were obtained for fast-moving objects, leaf veins, and live zebrafish.
Conclusions:
- The chalcogenide-based micro-ring sensor array offers superior performance for PAT applications.
- DOFC-enabled parallel interrogation provides an effective and efficient method for PAT systems.
- This integrated approach significantly advances the potential of PAT for diverse imaging applications.
