Fabrication of fiber-optic broadband ultrasound emitters by micro-opto-mechanical technology

A micro-opto-mechanical system (MOMS) technology for the fabrication of fiber-optic optoacoustic emitters is presented. The described devices are based on the thermoelastic generation of ultrasonic waves from patterned carbon films obtained by the controlled pyrolysis of photoresist layers and fabricated on miniaturized single-crystal silicon frames used to mount the emitters on the tip of an optical fiber. Thanks to the micromachining process adopted, high miniaturization levels are reached in the fabrication of the emitters, and self-standing devices on optical fiber with diameter around 350 µm are demonstrated, potentially suited to minimally invasive medical applications. The functional testing of fiber-optic emitter prototypes in water performed by using a 1064 nm Q-switched Nd-YAG excitation laser source is also presented, yielding broadband emission spectra extended from low frequencies up to more than 40 MHz, and focused emission fields with a maximum peak-to-peak pressure level of about 1.2 MPa at a distance of 1 mm from the devices. (paper)