A novel, broadband scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) for in vivo imaging and characterization of micro-cellular biological tissue structures is proposed. It will operate at a frequency of 4.0 GHz, which offers a resolution of less than 0.4 microns, orders of magnitude less than that commercially available for medical diagnostic and non-destructive testing applications. The transducer will be fabricated by two methods: (1) utilizing a sol-gel process to grow the element as a single crystal, and (2) forming the element with pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Each pixel of an acoustic C-Scan image will provide information about the absorption, elastic properties and density of tissue cells, which may improve the visualization and clinical assessment of consistent patterns of cellular malignancy. The C-Scan image will be formed with a novel technique that utilizes a piezoelectric actuator for precise and reliable micro-stepping in a raster format for data acquisition and image presentation. A feasibility assessment of the clinical utility of the proposed design will be carried out at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia., PA). Acoustic images will be taken of a wide variety of normal tissue specimens and the measured acoustic features compared with those obtained with standard transmissive and reflective optical techniques for tissue characterization.
A 4.0 GHz acoustic microscope offer significant benefits for both medical and material science applications. If successful, Layered Manufacturing Inc. is prepared to license the technology to all interested ultrasound system companies.
