Ultrasonic/photoacoustic imaging devices and methods

US8879352B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona · US

Inventors

• Russell S. Witte · Tucson, US
• Leonardo Gabriel Montilla · Tucson, US
• Ragnar Olafsson · Ann Arbor, US
• Charles M. Ingram · Centerville, US
• Zhaohui Wang · Chapel Hill, US
• Robert A. Norwood · Tucson, US
• Charles Greenlee · Sunnyvale, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 25, 2011
• Grant date: Nov 4, 2014
• Expiry date: Jan 25, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2291/02475
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Devices are disclosed for obtaining data of a sample, particularly data capable of being processed to produce an image of a region of the sample. An exemplary device includes a light-beam source, an acoustic-wave source, an optical element, and an acoustic detector. The optical element is transmissive to a light beam produced by the light-beam source and reflective to acoustic waves produced by the acoustic-wave source. The optical element is situated to direct the transmitted light beam and reflected acoustic wave simultaneously along an optical axis to be incident at a situs in or on a sample to cause the sample to produce acoustic echoes from the incident acoustic waves while also producing photoacoustic waves from the incident light beam photoacoustically interacting with the situs. The acoustic detector is placed to receive and detect the acoustic echoes and the photoacoustic waves from the situs. The acoustic detector can comprise one or more hydrophones exploiting the acousto-electric effect.