Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), due to its deep penetration depth and high contrast, is playing an increasingly important role in biomedical imaging. PAM imaging systems equipped with conventional ultrasound transducers have demonstrated excellent imaging performance. However, these opaque ultrasonic transducers bring some constraints to the further development and application of PAM, such as complex optical path, bulky size, and difficult to integrate with other modalities. To overcome these problems, ultrasonic transducers with high optical transparency have appeared. At present, transparent ultrasonic transducers are divided into optical-based and acoustic-based sensors. In this paper, we mainly describe the acoustic-based piezoelectric transparent transducers in detail, of which the research advances in PAM applications are reviewed. In addition, the potential challenges and developments of transparent transducers in PAM are also demonstrated.

Photoacoustic imaging, an emerging biomedical imaging modality, holds great promise for preclinical and clinical researches. It combines the high optical contrast and high ultrasound resolution by converting laser excitation into ultrasonic emission. In order to generate photoacoustic signal efficiently, bulky Q-switched solid-state laser systems are most commonly used as excitation sources and hence limit its commercialization. As an alternative, the miniaturized semiconductor laser systemhas the advantages of being inexpensive, compact, and robust, which makes a significant effect on production-forming design. It is also desirable to obtain a wavelength in a wide range fromvisible to nearinfrared spectrumformultispectral applications. Focussing on practical aspect, this paper reviews the state-of-the-art developments of low-cost photoacoustic system with laser diode and light-emitting diode excitation source and highlights a few representative installations in the past decade.

构建一套基于环形阵探测器的快速光声成像系统用于生物组织的结构成像。该系统以环形阵探测器探测光声信号,采用八通道的采集系统采集光声信号,再利用有限场滤波反投影算法重建光声图像。利用埋有铅笔芯的琼脂样品来测试该系统的分辨率,利用离体猪眼和在体老鼠头部血管成像来验证系统的成像能力。实验结果表明,该系统能方便快速地实现生物组织的结构成像,有望实现早期乳腺癌的临床检测应用。