Optically Transparent Focused Transducers for Combined Photoacoustic and Ultrasound Microscopy

Purpose: Photoacoustic (PA) microscopy has emerged as a useful tool in biomedical imaging applications such as visualization of microvasculature and hemoglobin oxygen saturation, single-cell, and label-free imaging of organs including cancer. Since the ultrasound transducers used for PA signal detection are not optically transparent, the integration of optical and acoustic modules for coaxial alignment of laser and acoustic beam fields in PA microscopy is complex and costly. Methods: Here, we report a recently developed optically transparent focused transducer for combined PA and ultrasound (US) microscopy. All the acoustic layers including the acoustic lens are optically transparent, enabling simple integration of optical and acoustic modules for both imaging modalities. Results: The mean light transmittance of the transducer’s backing layer and acoustic lens and of the transducer itself were measured at 92%, 83%, and 66%, respectively. Results from in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated the transducer to be suitable for both US and PA imaging. Conclusions: The results of this study represent a step toward efficient construction of probes for combined PA and US microscopy.