Acousto-optic tunable filter sidelobe analysis and reduction with telecentric confocal optics

The acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) has optical sidelobes that are due to the acoustic field produced by the transducer. These sidelobes were analyzed by wave-vector phase matching between the optical and acoustic fields, which correlated with measurements made with a TeO2 AOTF. A white-light point source was filtered and imaged, showing reasonably large and slowly decreasing sidelobes covering a large spectral range. This effect reduces the image quality of an AOTF system by producing faint secondary images of bright objects. The image quality can be improved with a telecentric confocal optical arrangement in which the angular shift of the sidelobes is greatly reduced, producing a much sharper image. This effect was also demonstrated experimentally with the point source.     

光电集成加速度地震检波器中声光波导相位调制器的设计与实验

提出了一种新型的光电集成加速度地震检波器,这是一种全新的微光机电系统(MOEMS),为实现硅基底上的光波导M-Z干涉仪的相位调制,采用了声光相位调制的方法,该相位调制器利用叉指换能器(IDT)激发出声表面波(SAW)实现对光波导的相位调制,在对光波导声光相位调制机理深入研究的基础上,设计并制作了器件,实验结果与理论相一致。     

Acousto-optic cell based on paratellurite crystal with surface excitation of acoustic waves

An acousto-optic cell based on a paratellurite (TeO₂) crystal, in which bulk acoustic waves are excited directly from the surface due to an intrinsic piezoelectric effect in the material, has been studied. The bulk shear acoustic waves with a frequency of 50 MHz propagate along the [001] and [110] axes with a polarization along the [ [`1]10 ]\left[ {\bar 110} \right] axis. The ultrasound has been excited by a simple system of two electrodes formed on one face of the crystal. Characteristics of the acousto-optic cell have been determined and the parameters of acoustic waves have been measured at 633 nm by optical beam diffraction on the acoustic diffraction grating.     

Detection of ultrawide-band ultrasound pulses in optoacoustic tomography

A laser optoacoustic imaging system (LOIS) uses time-resolved detection of laser-induced pressure profiles in tissue in order to reconstruct images of the tissue based on distribution of acoustic sources. Laser illumination with short pulses generates distribution of acoustic sources that accurately replicates the distribution of absorbed optical energy. The complex spatial profile of heterogeneous distribution of acoustic sources can be represented in the frequency domain by a wide spectrum of ultrasound ranging from tens of kilohertz to tens of megahertz. Therefore, LOIS requires a unique acoustic detector operating simultaneously within a wide range of ultrasonic frequencies. Physical principles of an array of ultrawide-band ultrasonic transducers used in LOIS designed for imaging tumors in the depth of tissue are described. The performance characteristics of the transducer array were modeled and compared with experiments performed in gel phantoms resembling optical and acoustic properties of human tissue with small tumors. The amplitude and the spectrum of laser-induced ultrasound pulses were measured in order to determine the transducer sensitivity and the level of thermal noises within the entire ultrasonic band of detection. Spatial resolution of optoacoustic images obtained with an array of piezoelectric transducers and its transient directivity pattern within the field of view are described. The detector design considerations essential for obtaining high-quality optoacoustic images are presented.     

Toward virtual biopsy through an all fiber optic ultrasonic miniaturized transducer: a proposal

The present generation of devices based on opto-acoustic and acousto-optic conversion lets us foresee the possibility of realizing complete miniaturized transmitting-receiving transducers, able to generate and detect wideband ultrasounds by laser light. In the present paper, a miniaturized ultrasonic transducer entirely based on fiber optic technology is proposed. Such a device springs from the conjunction between our research, which has produced a highly efficient fiber optic opto-acoustic source, with the results obtained by other researchers concerning the realization of an ultrasonic receiver based on optical interferometry. Making use of the thermo-elastic effect for ultrasound generation, a source of ultrasound can be obtained by coupling a fiber optic to pulsed laser, if a film capable of absorbing laser light is placed onto fiber end. Starting from these remarks, we propose an efficient opto-acoustic source, able to generate pressure pulses with amplitude of the order of 10(4) Pa and bandwidth extending up to 40 MHz and beyond by using graphite materials as absorbing film. This solution makes use of a low-power pulsed laser as optical source possible. An ultrasonic receiving element was realized placing a Fabry-Perot cavity over the tip of a fiber optic. The cavity thickness modulation induced by ultrasonic beam is detected by an interferometer optical technique. We have realized a prototype of a receiving device that exhibits a sensitivity comparable with that of piezoelectric devices (10-100 nV/Pa) and an almost flat bandwidth extending up to 20 MHz or more. The extreme miniaturization of the resulting ultrasonic transducer, together with its wide ultrasonic frequency bandwidth, is the first step toward ultrasonic tissue biopsy. In this paper, before discussing the problem of constructing a complete ultrasonic transducer composed by a transmitter and receiver, the results carried out in these fields during the last decade are reviewed.     

Characterization of micromachined ultrasonic transducers using light diffraction tomography

This paper demonstrates that light diffraction tomography can be used to measure the acoustic field of micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUT) in cases in which standard methods like hydrophone and microphone measurements fail. Two types of MUTs have been characterized with the method, one air-coupled capacitive MUT (cMUT) and one waterloaded continuous wave (CW) miniature multilayer lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducer. Light diffraction tomography is an ultrasound measurement method with some special characteristics. Based on the interaction of light and ultrasound, it combines light intensity measurements with tomography algorithms to produce a measurement system. The method offers nonperturbing pressure measurements with high spatial resolution. It has been shown that, under certain circumstances, light diffraction tomography can be used as an absolute pressure measurement method with accuracy in the order of 10% in water and 13% in air. The results show that air-coupled cMUTs in the frequency range of about 1 MHz as well as the extreme near field of a miniaturized CW 10 MHz water-loaded transducer were successfully characterized with light diffraction tomography.     

Large-area, real-time imaging system for surface acoustic wavedevices

A system for imaging the particle displacement envelope of vibrational (transverse) modes of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices is described. The modes are being imaged using a schlieren method for visualizing the acoustic power flow with a beam-expanded helium-neon (HeNe) laser. The optical arrangement uses internal reflection from within the quartz substrate to achieve high-efficiency acousto-optic diffraction of the laser light. The use of a CCD camera coupled with a frame grabber and a computer with image calculator software establishes an imaging system for large-area, real-time visualization, recording, accurate measurement, and analysis of vibrational modes of SAW devices. These methods are part of an effort to determine the relationship between acceleration sensitivity and transverse variations in the acoustic-mode shape in SAW resonators. Use of the system in imaging a 98 MHz SAW device is presented as an example     

Monolithic bulk shear-wave acousto-optic tunable filter

We demonstrate a monolithic bulk shear-wave acousto-optic tunable filter combining a piezoelectric transducer array and the acoustic interaction medium in a single crystal. An X-propagating acoustic longitudinal wave is excited in the "crossed-field" scheme by an RF-E/sub y/-field in a chirped acoustic superlattice formed by domain-inversion in lithium niobate (LiNbO/sub 3/). The acoustic longitudinal wave is efficiently (97.5%) converted at a mechanically free boundary into a Y-propagating acoustic slow-shear wave that couples collinearly propagating e- and o-polarized optical waves. A relative conversion efficiency of 80%/W was measured at 980 nm.     

Two-dimensional ultrasound receive array using an angle-tuned Fabry-Perot polymer film sensor for transducer field characterization and transmission ultrasound imaging

A 2-D optical ultrasound receive array has been investigated. The transduction mechanism is based upon the detection of acoustically induced changes in the optical thickness of a thin polymer film acting as a Fabry-Perot sensing interferometer (FPI). By illuminating the sensor with a large-area laser beam and mechanically scanning a photodiode across the reflected output beam, while using a novel angle-tuned phase bias control system to optimally set the FPI working point, a notional 2-D ultrasound array was synthesized. To demonstrate the concept, 1-D and 2-D ultrasound field distributions produced by planar 3.5-MHz and focused 5-MHz PZT ultrasound transducers were mapped. The system was also evaluated by performing transmission ultrasound imaging of a spatially calibrated target. The "array" aperture, defined by the dimensions of the incident optical field, was elliptical, of dimensions 16 x 12 mm and spatially sampled in steps of 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm. Element sizes, defined by the photodiode aperture, of 0.8, 0.4, and 0.2 mm were variously used for these experiments. Two types of sensor were evaluated. One was a discrete 75-microm-thick polyethylene terephthalate FPI bonded to a polymer backing stub which had a wideband peak noise-equivalent pressure of 6.5 kPa and an acoustic bandwidth 12 MHz. The other was a 40-microm Parylene film FPI which was directly vacuum-deposited onto a glass backing stub and had an NEP of 8 kPa and an acoustic bandwidth of 17.5 MHz. It is considered that this approach offers an alternative to piezoelectric ultrasound arrays for transducer field characterization, transmission medical and industrial ultrasound imaging, biomedical photoacoustic imaging, and ultrasonic nondestructive testing.     

Liquid lens using acoustic radiation force

A liquid lens is proposed that uses acoustic radiation force with no mechanical moving parts. It consists of a cylindrical acrylic cell filled with two immiscible liquids (degassed water and silicone oil) and a concave ultrasound transducer. The focal point of the transducer is located on the oil-water interface, which functions as a lens. The acoustic radiation force is generated when there is a difference in the acoustic energy densities of different media. An acoustic standing wave was generated in the axial direction of the lens and the variation of the shape of the oil-water interface was observed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The lens profile can be rapidly changed by varying the acoustic radiation force from the transducer. The kinematic viscosity of silicone oil was optimized to minimize the response times of the lens. Response times of 40 and 80 ms when switching ultrasonic radiation on and off were obtained with a kinematic viscosity of 200 cSt. The path of a laser beam transmitted through the lens was calculated by ray-tracing simulations based on the experimental results obtained by OCT. The transmitted laser beam could be focused by applying an input voltage. The liquid lens could be operated as a variable-focus lens by varying the input voltage.     

治疗超声系统中换能器声学性能的声全息法评估

换能器的聚焦特性等声学性能是治疗超声系统的重要参数之一,在出厂前和日常维护中须精确测量。目前常用的水听器测量法结果准确,但受声压幅度及测量效率的限制,高功率量程的声功率计造价较高;而基于声全息的表面振动模式测量法可作为高声压下水听器和声功率计测量法的补充,测量小声压平面并对高幅度声压焦域进行重建。为评估声全息法的准确性,文章研究了在小声压下使用基于声全息的表面振动模式测量法对声场进行测量和重建,分析该方法与水听器测量结果之间的功率和声压误差,以及影响误差的重要参数。结果表明,基于声全息的表面振动模式测量法可重建得到与水听器直接测量相近的结果,有望对高声压下工作的换能器的声场特性进行评估。     

High-frequency ultrasound sensors using polymer microring resonators

Polymer microring resonators are demonstrated as high-frequency, ultrasound detectors. An optical microring resonator consists of a ring waveguide closely coupled to a straight bus waveguide, serving as light input and output. Acoustic waves irradiating the ring induce strain, deforming the waveguide dimensions and changing the refractive index of the waveguide via the elasto-optic effect. These effects modify the effective refractive index of the guided mode inside the waveguide. The sharp wavelength dependence of the microring resonance can enhance the optical response to acoustic strain. Such polymer microring resonators are experimentally demonstrated in detecting broadband ultrasound pulses from a 50 MHz transducer. Measured frequency response shows that these devices have potential in high-frequency, ultrasound detection. Design guidelines for polymer microring resonators forming an ultrasound detector array are discussed.     

光纤布拉格传感器兰姆波检测的反射谱分析

传统的兰姆波多采用压电陶瓷换能器激发和接收。建立了新的超声兰姆波无损检测系统,其基本思想是采用布拉格光纤传感器作为兰姆波的接收器。光纤光栅传感的基本原理是通过检测光栅反射的中心波长移动实现对外界参量如超声的测量。超声作用下光纤光栅的反射谱发生变化,对超声作用下光纤光栅的反射谱变化进行了数值分析,结果表明,超声对光栅反射谱的影响与超声波长与光栅长度的比值是高度相关的。只有当这个比值相当大时,反射谱的形状才不会变化而中心波长发生偏移,此时光纤传感器可用来探测兰姆波。这个结论为利用新的兰姆波无损检测系统在布拉格光栅长度的设计和兰姆波波长的选择方面提供了有用的工具。     

Focusing with an optoacoustic transducer

A prototype of an ultrasonic transducer has been developed that uses an optical input to control the ultrasonic output. This transducer is called an optoacoustic transducer (OAT) and provides an ultrasonic pattern that is spatially similar to the optical pattern used to illuminate it. When a focus-inducing optical pattern, such as a zone plate, is used, an acoustic focus is achieved. The success of this procedure depends on the use of amplitude-modulated light at the input and on filtering the received signal to eliminate the primary frequency. This provides an increase, from 30 dB to 70 dB, in the ratio of acoustic pressure in the illuminated regions to that in the dark regions. The prototype operates at 2.8 MHz and has been used to provide a good acoustic focus in water. A 3-dB beamwidth of 3.5 mm was measured at a range of 92 mm. The construction techniques and materials used are discussed.     

Acoustical evaluation of a prototype sector-vortex phased-array applicator

A prototype sector-vortex phased-array applicator for ultrasound hyperthermia was constructed and acoustically evaluated. The array transducer consists of special lead-titanate ceramic elements of 16 sectors and two tracks attached on a element is driven by a complementary pair of power MOSFETs at 750 kHz. An annular focal field approximated by the Mth order Bessel function is theoretically predicted to be formed when the array elements are driven with a phase distribution that rotates M (相似文献   

A photoacoustic imager with light illumination through an infrared-transparent silicon CMUT array

A novel hardware design and preliminary experimental results for photoacoustic imaging are reported in this paper. This imaging system makes use of an infrared-transparent capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) chip for ultrasound reception and illuminates the image target through the CMUT array. The cascaded arrangement between the light source and transducer array allows for a more compact imager head and results in more uniform illumination. Taking advantage of the low optical absorption coefficient of silicon in the near infrared spectrum as well as the broad acoustic bandwidth that CMUTs provide, an infrared-transparent CMUT array has been developed for ultrasound reception. The center frequency of the polysilicon-membrane CMUT devices used in this photoacoustic system is 3.5 MHz, with a fractional bandwidth of 118% in reception mode. The silicon substrate of the CMUT array has been thinned to 100 μm and an antireflection dielectric layer is coated on the back side to improve the infrared-transmission rate. Initial results show that the transmission rate of a 1.06-μm Nd:Yag laser through this CMUT chip is 12%. This transmission rate can be improved if the thickness of silicon substrate and the thin-film dielectrics in the CMUT structure are properly tailored. Imaging of a metal wire phantom using this cascaded photoacoustic imager is demonstrated.     

基于扫描数据可视化的超声换能器参数测量

超声探头是超声无损检测中的关键部件,其参数直接影响到对超声检测系统性能的评价与校准。在自主建立的水浸超声声场自动扫查系统基础上,以标准ASTM E1065-99为依据,利用水听器法对聚焦超声换能器声场进行扫描,并将数据可视化。在数据可视化的基础上,对声场中若干重要参数进行了测量。实验结果表明,测量结果与理论计算结果吻合程度良好,所实现的声场自动扫查系统能够真实反应出换能器空间的声场分布,能够为超声换能器应用特性的准确评价提供可信的数据。     

基元控制的方式优化自聚焦换能器聚焦声场的研究

根据HY2900聚焦超声治疗系统聚焦换能器采用6基元自聚焦方式的特点,通过对6基元聚焦换能器排序及数量的控制,达到了避让特定部位的目的。采用亥姆霍兹-基尔霍夫积分计算并用HY2900声场测量软件测量换能器在脱气水中声场的分布。对6基元换能器排序进行定义,结合水听器控制基元数及排序。在对换能器基元全驱动,关闭1、6基元,关闭1、2、6基元,关闭1、3、5基元的四种状况下测量聚焦换能器途径声场及焦平面声场分布。研究发现焦点上10 mm声场分布平面直接反映换能器基元数及随排序的改变换能器聚焦声途径的变化,可通过对换能器基元排序及数量的控制,优化其途径声场分布。     

Nonlinear optical and acoustic properties of thin films

The nonlinear optical and acoustic properties of thin films have been studied experimentally. The following nonlinear effects have been investigated: acoustic wave generation; stimulated light scattering due to acousto-optic interaction; and the influence of excitation conditions, film structure, and film composition on the above effects.     

"Crossed-field" excitation of an acoustic superlattice with matched boundaries: theory and experiment

Electrical characteristics of a new type of acoustic transducer have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The agreement between calculated and measured results is excellent. The transducer consists of an acoustic superlattice, made of periodically poled LiNbO/sub 3/ (PPLN), with acoustically matched boundaries, facilitating the construction of acousto-optic (AO) devices through monolithic integration.