Opt Lett. 2024 Jun 1;49(11):3054-3057. doi: 10.1364/OL.512445.
Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) utilizes the photoacoustic effect to record both vascular and functional characteristics of a biological tissue. Photoacoustic signals have typically low amplitude that cannot be read efficiently by data acquisition systems. This necessitates the use of one or more amplifiers. These amplifiers are somewhat bulky (e.g., the ZFL-500LN+, Mini-Circuits, USA, or 351A-3-50-NI, Analog Modules Inc., USA). Here, we describe the fabrication and development process of a transducer with a built-in low-noise preamplifier that is encased within the transducer housing. This new, to the best of our knowledge, design could be advantageous for applications where a compact transducer + preamplifier is required. We demonstrate the performance of this compact detection unit in a laser scanning photoacoustic microscopy system by imaging a rat ear ex vivo and a rat brain vasculature in vivo.
光声成像是一种利用光声效应来记录生物组织的血管和功能特征的技术。光声信号的幅度通常较低，无法被数据采集系统有效地读取。这就需要使用一个或多个放大器。这些放大器有点笨重（例如，ZFL-500LN+、Mini-Circuits，美国，或 351A-3-50-NI、Analog Modules Inc.，美国）。在这里，我们描述了一种带有内置低噪声前置放大器的换能器的制造和开发过程，该前置放大器被封装在换能器外壳内。据我们所知，这种新的设计对于需要紧凑的换能器+前置放大器的应用可能是有利的。我们通过在离体大鼠耳朵和体内大鼠大脑血管成像来展示这种紧凑的检测单元在激光扫描光声显微镜系统中的性能。
