Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End Amplifier
Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a hybrid imaging technique that can provide both structural and functional information of biological tissues. Due to limited permissible laser energy deposited on tissues, highly sensitive PA imaging is required. Here, we developed a 20 MHz lead zirconium titanate (PZT)...
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MDPI AG
2020-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/3/766 |
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| author | Chen Yang Xiaohua Jian Xinle Zhu Jiabing Lv Yang Jiao Zhile Han Antonios Stylogiannis Vasilis Ntziachristos George Sergiadis Yaoyao Cui |
| author_facet | Chen Yang Xiaohua Jian Xinle Zhu Jiabing Lv Yang Jiao Zhile Han Antonios Stylogiannis Vasilis Ntziachristos George Sergiadis Yaoyao Cui |
| author_sort | Chen Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a hybrid imaging technique that can provide both structural and functional information of biological tissues. Due to limited permissible laser energy deposited on tissues, highly sensitive PA imaging is required. Here, we developed a 20 MHz lead zirconium titanate (PZT) transducer (1.5 mm × 3 mm) with front-end amplifier circuits for local signal processing to achieve sensitivity enhanced PA imaging. The electrical and acoustic performance was characterized. Experiments on phantoms and chicken breast tissue were conducted to validate the imaging performance. The fabricated prototype shows a bandwidth of 63% and achieves a noise equivalent pressure (NEP) of 0.24 mPa/√Hz and a receiving sensitivity of 62.1 μV/Pa at 20 MHz without degradation of the bandwidth. PA imaging of wire phantoms demonstrates that the prototype is capable of improving the detection sensitivity by 10 dB compared with the traditional transducer without integrated amplifier. In addition, in vitro experiments on chicken breast tissue show that structures could be imaged with enhanced contrast using the prototype and the imaging depth range was improved by 1 mm. These results demonstrate that the transducer with an integrated front-end amplifier enables highly sensitive PA imaging with improved penetration depth. The proposed method holds the potential for visualization of deep tissue structures and enhanced detection of weak physiological changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:40:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a9d50c3345384fb18c15dd196fd66991 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:40:33Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-a9d50c3345384fb18c15dd196fd669912022-12-22T02:19:47ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202020-01-0120376610.3390/s20030766s20030766Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End AmplifierChen Yang0Xiaohua Jian1Xinle Zhu2Jiabing Lv3Yang Jiao4Zhile Han5Antonios Stylogiannis6Vasilis Ntziachristos7George Sergiadis8Yaoyao Cui9University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, ChinaSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, ChinaSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, ChinaSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, ChinaSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, ChinaSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, ChinaInstitute of Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, GermanyInstitute of Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, GermanySuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, ChinaSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, ChinaPhotoacoustic (PA) imaging is a hybrid imaging technique that can provide both structural and functional information of biological tissues. Due to limited permissible laser energy deposited on tissues, highly sensitive PA imaging is required. Here, we developed a 20 MHz lead zirconium titanate (PZT) transducer (1.5 mm × 3 mm) with front-end amplifier circuits for local signal processing to achieve sensitivity enhanced PA imaging. The electrical and acoustic performance was characterized. Experiments on phantoms and chicken breast tissue were conducted to validate the imaging performance. The fabricated prototype shows a bandwidth of 63% and achieves a noise equivalent pressure (NEP) of 0.24 mPa/√Hz and a receiving sensitivity of 62.1 μV/Pa at 20 MHz without degradation of the bandwidth. PA imaging of wire phantoms demonstrates that the prototype is capable of improving the detection sensitivity by 10 dB compared with the traditional transducer without integrated amplifier. In addition, in vitro experiments on chicken breast tissue show that structures could be imaged with enhanced contrast using the prototype and the imaging depth range was improved by 1 mm. These results demonstrate that the transducer with an integrated front-end amplifier enables highly sensitive PA imaging with improved penetration depth. The proposed method holds the potential for visualization of deep tissue structures and enhanced detection of weak physiological changes.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/3/766photoacoustic imagingdetection sensitivitypzt transducerfront-end amplifier |
| spellingShingle | Chen Yang Xiaohua Jian Xinle Zhu Jiabing Lv Yang Jiao Zhile Han Antonios Stylogiannis Vasilis Ntziachristos George Sergiadis Yaoyao Cui Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End Amplifier Sensors photoacoustic imaging detection sensitivity pzt transducer front-end amplifier |
| title | Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End Amplifier |
| title_full | Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End Amplifier |
| title_fullStr | Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End Amplifier |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End Amplifier |
| title_short | Sensitivity Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging Using a High-Frequency PZT Transducer with an Integrated Front-End Amplifier |
| title_sort | sensitivity enhanced photoacoustic imaging using a high frequency pzt transducer with an integrated front end amplifier |
| topic | photoacoustic imaging detection sensitivity pzt transducer front-end amplifier |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/3/766 |
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