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Interferometric optical fiber sensor for optoacoustic endomicroscopy
Author(s) -
Ülgen Okan,
Shnaiderman Rami,
Zakian Christian,
Ntziachristos Vasilis
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of biophotonics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.877
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1864-0648
pISSN - 1864-063X
DOI - 10.1002/jbio.202000501
Subject(s) - materials science , optical fiber , interferometry , transducer , fiber optic sensor , optoelectronics , ultrasonic sensor , optics , detector , acoustics , physics
Optical fiber sensors can offer robust and miniaturized detection of wideband ultrasound, yielding high sensitivity and immunity to electromagnetic interference. However, the lack of cost‐effective manufacturing methods prevents the disseminated use of these sensors in biomedical applications. In this study, we developed and optimized a simple method to create optical cavities with high‐quality mirrors for acoustic sensing based on micro‐manipulation of UV‐curable optical adhesives and electroless chemical silver deposition. This approach enables the manufacturing of ultrasound sensors based on Fabry‐Pérot interferometers on optical fiber tips with minimal production costs. Characterization and high‐resolution optoacoustic imaging experiments show that the manufacturing process yielded a fiber sensor with a small NEP ( 11 mPa / Hz ) over a broad detection bandwidth (25 MHz), generally outperforming conventional piezoelectric based transducers. We discuss how the new manufacturing process leads to a high‐performance acoustic detector that, due to low cost, can be used as a disposable sensor.