An ultraminiature acousto-optic confocal imaging device and a method for manufacturing the same
By using a coaxial confocal structure and a concave metasurface design, the problems of large size and insufficient imaging sensitivity of photoacoustic imaging systems are solved, achieving efficient integration of miniature probes and high-resolution imaging, which is suitable for intraoperative microvascular identification.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANDONG NORMAL UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing photoacoustic imaging systems are bulky and difficult to fit into the confined space during surgery. The optical and acoustic focal areas are difficult to overlap with high precision, resulting in insufficient imaging sensitivity, long optical paths with high losses, complex assembly, and incompatibility with existing ultrasound platforms. Furthermore, it is difficult to integrate optical excitation and acoustic reception in miniaturized probes.
A coaxial confocal structure consisting of a central optical input unit, a concave metasurface optical control unit, and a ring ultrasonic receiving unit, combined with a micro-support and encapsulation structure, is used to achieve coaxial integration of optical excitation and acoustic reception. High refractive index polymer materials and piezoelectric ceramic ring transducers are used, and a concave phase compensation model is designed to form a micron-scale focused light spot and efficient acoustic signal reception.
It achieves a compact structure at the millimeter scale, with small spatial deviation between the optical axis and the acoustic axis, improving the imaging signal-to-noise ratio by 6-12 dB, and can identify microvessels with a diameter of 30 μm. It is suitable for intraoperative microvascular imaging and has low-cost mass production capabilities.
Smart Images
Figure CN122410784A_ABST